Loeb and Sordo sign the double in test for Ireland

Already a winner at the Donegal Rally, Sébastien Loeb adds a victory at the Cork International Rally ahead of his teammate Dani Sordo. There was another prominent guest at this Irish test event: Mikko Hirvonen, who finishes fifth after a puncture.

From November 16 to 18, the first Irish Rally in the history of the WRC Championship will take place. Teams are therefore continuing to prepare by attending the most well-known rallies organized on the island. This weekend, Sébastien Loeb – with a C4 WRC – and Dani Sordo – with a Xsara WRC – covered 239 kilometers of special stages and achieved an unsurprising one-two finish.

« Beyond the victory, what I remember the most is the very good training session we conducted under race conditions, » analyzes the Frenchman.

The driver had already participated at the beginning of the season in the Donegal rally, but never tires of the ever-changing landscape. « After our first experience in this country, we had a small idea of what we were going to face. Yet, once again, I was surprised by the difficulty of the stages. With only two reconnaissance passes, it is really not easy to take good notes. »

« With the engineers and technicians of Citroën Sport, we continued our preparation for the stage that will take place in Sligo, » continues Loeb.

It seems that the stages covered here on Saturday resemble what awaits us in the North. So it was very interesting to come and participate in the ‘Cork’. We were able to delve deeper and confirm certain points, either retaining or eliminating settings while testing others.

Sébastien Loeb clocked thirteen fastest times in fourteen special stages. He leads Dani Sordo by more than two minutes. Mark Higgins completes the podium driving a Subaru Impreza WRC. After losing five minutes due to a puncture, Mikko Hirvonen settles for the fifth position.