Zoom Everyone is happy at the Peugeot Belux team

Sunday afternoon in the town of Zlin, on the eastern side of the Czech Republic, the two Peugeot Belgium-Luxemburg crews climbed onto the top steps of the podium after securing a one-two victory at the Barum Rally's 38th edition.

Rally winner Freddy Loix is actually a bit emotional about it all.

"This is my third victory of the season, my second in the IRC. After being unable to achieve this for so long, it's really nice to regularly renew with victory," the Belgian said. "I thank all the Peugeot Belgium-Luxemburg team members who prepared a diabolically efficient 207 S2000 for me."

"The last day was not easy," Loix reported. "The overnight rain made the roads very slippery, especially in the forest areas. The changes in grip were countless. It was imperative to remain totally concentrated."

Saturday evening, the two S2000 cars prepared by the Peugeot Belux team were already in the top two spots, with Loix holding on to a fragile four-second advantage on teammate Nicolas Vouilloz. Their pursuers were holding steady, a safer distance away.

In order to secure a one-two finish, both crews received instructions to avoid any risk-taking. That did not prevent them from establishing the two fastest runs on Sunday's opening stage; it was the sixth time they had done so since the rally began.

Loix was still in the lead when Vouilloz's car suddenly developed mechanical problems. A driveshaft issue and a start motor refusing to work properly forced the Frenchman to continue with the equivalent of a two-wheel-drive.

"I went through two long and very difficult stages because the handling of my car had become very delicate, especially when braking," Vouilloz explained.

"I was very satisfied with a second place which constituted an excellent operation in regards to the IRC challenge," he underlined. "I continued to drive as fast as I could while doing the maximum to avoid leaving the road."

"I was on the wire for over 46 kilometres," Vouilloz added. "It was stressful, but it was worth it!"

The problems weren't over for him however. During the service break, the transmission problem was quickly resolved but there was not enough time to replace the starter. Vouilloz stalled at the start of the penultimate stage, losing a half-minute.