Sébastien Loeb
Guido De Bortoli
First Rally Cross event is no problem for eight-time WRC champion
Eight-time World Rally Championship title winner Sebastien Loeb made a one-off appearance in the Global Rally Cross this weekend, crossing the pond to compete in the X Games rally event.
Next season, the GRC competitors may well put together a fund to entice Loeb to stay home.
The WRC ace dominated his heat race, then did the same in tonight’s final to win the gold medal in the X Games. Loeb bested Ken Block to take the win, as the most accomplished driver ever to run at the X Games handled his first Rally Cross event with the same aplomb that he did in each of his 71 WRC victories.
“It was a great end to the weekend and obviously, I’m really pleased to win the gold medal, but I must admit I'm finding it hard to really enjoy it when my ‘best enemy’ Marcus Grönholm is in hospital after his crash”, said Loeb “We were both very much looking forward to racing against each other here and it's a shame that it didn't happen. This was my first rallycross race but I quickly realized that the start would be crucial. As I was a little faster than the others in free practice, I knew that if I had got away well at the start, I'd be almost certain of winning. I came here hoping I'd win and that's exactly what happened!”
Block took second ahead of Brian Deegan and Rhys Millen. Tanner Foust finished sixth in the final, allowing him to take the 2012 Global Rally Cross championship lead from Marcus Gronholm, who was unable to compete after his crash in practice. Foust took a five-point lead over Gronholm while Millen moved into third.
The series will next compete in Loudon, New Hampshire on July 14.
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