Sebastien Loeb’s incredible run of success in the World Rally Championship continued last weekend when he saw off local heroes for his third Rally Finland win.
The Frenchman overcame stiff competition from his Citroen team-mate Mikko Hirvonen to claim his 73rd WRC victory by 6.1 seconds as the high-speed gravel event culminated with a second pass of the infamous Ouninpohja stage.
Ouninphoja (pronounced Oy-nin-poy-ahh) is one of the toughest stages in the WRC; it is also one of the most spectacular, with sections showcasing a rally driver’s commitment as they lose touch of the road on 30 occasions through what is undoubtedly the spiritual home of rallying.
He may not have won his home event, but Hirvonen can now at least claim to be the King of Ouninpohja as he set a new record for the cherished 20-miler last weekend. His time of 15m17.3s eclipsed Petter Solberg’s previous record of 15m18.4s, which the Norweigan set back in 2004.
And here is Hirvonen’s masterful performance in its entirety.
Big balls, these Finns.
