World Rally Champion...

World Rally Champion Sebastien Loeb says he’s confident of retaining his title after becoming the first driver to win a WRC event for six years in a row with victory in Germany.

And Francois Duval underlined the Citroen’s superiority on tarmac by claiming second place, while Ford’s number two Mikko Hirvonen came home in third.

Adding to Loeb’s delight, current championship leader Marcus Gronholm could only finish fourth after spinning his Ford out of second place on the final speed test.

The experienced Finn’s costly mistake has cut his advantage from 13 points to eight with six rounds remaining, and 60 points still up for grabs. More significantly, three of these final events are staged on asphalt, the favoured surface of Loeb. “We have closed the gap in the championship by five points and everything is still wide open,” said the defending champion.

“I am strong enough on asphalt, but there are three gravel rallies as well. The fight ahead promises to be very fierce, but I’m confident.”

Gronholm blamed his late error on a loss of concentration after being distracted by a stray cow. “We were warned there was a cow near the edge of the road,” said Gronholm. “I drove round it with no problem, but it put me off and I slid wide on a corner 100 metres later, hitting a wall.” The next round of the series is in New Zealand on 31 August.