Finland’s Marcus Grönholm has beaten Frenchman Sébastien Loeb in one of the closest-fought World Rally Championship in many years.
Grönholm managed to beat his main rival by a small margin of 0.3 seconds! The title rivals were inseparable throughout the last day of the Rally New Zealand, swapping the lead three times in the final stages and being split by less than a second for most of leg three.
The Ford Rally driver looked set for a dominant victory after setting the pace on the first day, but Sébastien had other ideas. It was a fascinating contest as the two fastest rally drivers trade stages times.
The rally was decided on the final stage, the Mystery Creek Super Special. Even though Loeb took the stage honours, Grönholm had just enough of a margin to seal the victory after three incredible days of rally action.
The result brings Grönholm’s championship lead back up to 10 points with five rounds remaining.
In contrast to the nail-biting tension of the lead battle, Ford’s Mikko Hirvonen finished a distant third but was well ahead of the other drivers to take the last remaining podium spot.