Zoom Much pride coming from Quesnel

The 2009 World Rally Championship went down to the wire between Citroen's Sebastien Loeb and his nemesis from Ford, Mikko Hirvonen. Heading into Rally Great Britain with a one-point difference, both drivers needed to avoid committing even the slightest mistake with the season's crown hanging in the balance.

However, amid the rainy conditions and mud-covered gravel roads of the ultimate round held in Wales last weekend, the title fight tipped in Loeb's favour for the sixth time of his career after three days of perfect driving.

"Mikko made the first error," said Citroen Racing boss Olivier Quesnel. "That's life, that's how it is. I'm sorry for him but in any case, the best man won.

"The rally was decided on stages 8 and 9 (when Loeb) gained about 10 seconds on Mikko in the first one and on the next one adding 11 more seconds," he elaborated. "All the drivers were asking what he had invented!

"At the beginning of the rally they were both on another planet – Seb and Mikko - and then in stages 8 and 9 there was an extra-terrestrial," Quesnel said. "And it was Seb."

Quesnel praised the intense duel Loeb and Hirvonen delivered far ahead of the entire field, and admitted that Citroen had taken risks during the all-out battle.

"It was hard at every level, knowing that the roads are very hard and anything could happen," he explained. "We were not protected from hitting a rock or puncturing, and we took big risks as well since we only took aboard one spare wheel all along and no spare parts in order to lighten the car as much as possible."

Commenting on what was a close-fought and very difficult season ending, Quesnel revealed that he had always been confident his star driver would take the 2009 title despite Hirvonen's championship lead going into the final round, and recognised the challenge the Finn brought to the Frenchman.

Following such a close finish, "For Seb it must be one of his most beautiful titles," the Citroen boss commented.

"I am very proud of this team," Quesnel concluded. "It is a very, very big team."

Daniel BASTIEN
© CAPSIS International