[Votação] O Melhor desportista de sempre

[Ed]

- Wislander

- Richardson

- Fritz

[Múry]

Ainda posso votar nos candidatos de atletismo?

 

Se sim, cá vai o meu voto:

 

Carlos Lopes;

Rosa Mota;

Obikwelu.

 

:mrgreen:

 

Ok, ok, antes que me deem cabo da cabeça. Agora a sério:

 

Bolt;

Lewis;

Isinbayeva.

[Daniel Ferreira]

Não, acho que tens de votar, agora, nos de andebol. :compinchas:

[Peplin]

Múry, por uma questão de bom-senso, não posso aceitar a tua votação. Se assim fosse, podia abrir um precedente que permitiria aos users votar muito depois da votação ter sido realizada, desvirtuando os resultados. ;)

 

De resto, estás à vontade para votar no melhor andebolista. ;)

[Black Hawk]

- Ivano Balić

- Nikola Karabatić

- Henning Fritz

 

Menção honrosa para o Carlos Resende.

Editado 25 Março 2011 por BlackHawk

[Múry]

Múry, por uma questão de bom-senso, não posso aceitar a tua votação. Se assim fosse, podia abrir um precedente que permitiria aos users votar muito depois da votação ter sido realizada, desvirtuando os resultados. ;)

 

De resto, estás à vontade para votar no melhor andebolista. ;)

Ok. No problem...

 

1º Ivano Balić

2º Carlos Galambas

3º Bruno Souza

 

Poderia falar também de Nikola Karabatic e Talant Dushebajew mas fico-me pelos que mencionei.

 

Menção honrosa para o Carlos Resende.

 

:prayer:

[Nuk]

- Balic

- Karabatic

- Fritz

[Peplin]

Ok. No problem...

 

1º Ivano Balić

2º Carlos Galambas

3º Bruno Souza

 

Tens que votar nos nomes que foram propostos. Está na página anterior. ;)

[Peplin]

1º: Ivano Balić

2º: Magnus Wislander

3º: Henning Fritz

 

Recordo que hoje é o último dia para votarem.

[Visitante]

Ivano Balić

Magnus Wislander

Henning Fritz

[Taj]

Karabatic :heart:

Balic

Fritz

Editado 26 Março 2011 por Taj Burrow

[Peplin]

Votação encerrada!

 

1º: Balić - 16 pontos

2º: Fritz - 9 pontos

3º: Karabatić - 7 pontos

3º: Wislander - 7 pontos

5º: Richardson - 2 pontos

6º: Resende - 1 ponto

 

Ivano Balić venceu a votação na categoria de Andebol.

[Peplin]

Vamos passar à próxima modalidade, que será a de Automobilismo.

 

Proponham nomes (1 por cada user), sem esquecer a respectiva descrição do escolhido. ;)

[El Colosso]

O Richardson teve 2 votos? :(

[Peplin]

O Richardson teve 2 votos? :(

 

Teve 1, que valeram 2 pontos. ;)

[zlatanzinho]

Mika Häkkinen

 

 

Mika Pauli Häkkinen (Vantaa, 28 de Setembro de 1968) é um automobilista finlandês. Conquistou dois títulos mundiais na Fórmula 1, onde teve grande rivalidade com Michael Schumacher.

 

Em 1991 foi contratado para correr na Fórmula 1 pela equipe Lotus.

Trocou a Lotus pela McLaren em 1993. Após passar por uma sucessão de decepções com a McLaren, conquistou os campeonatos de 1998 e 1999. Häkkinen sempre foi um piloto extremamente rápido e em 1995 esteve perto da morte num acidente no Grande Prêmio da Austrália, sendo salvo por uma traqueostomia.

Depois de lutar, com sua McLaren com problemas de confiabilidade, contra a Ferrari de Michael Schumacher em 2000 e 2001, Häkkinen, desmotivado, não disputou a temporada de 2002 e anunciou sua aposentadoria permanente durante a temporada. No ano de 2000, porém, o finlandês protagonizou uma das mais belas ultrapassagens da história da Fórmula 1, ocorrida na Bélgica em cima de Michael Schumacher. Com uma bela manobra pela esquerda e aproveitando a presença do retardatário Ricardo Zonta, da BAR, Hakkinen ultrapassou Schumacher com maestria.

 

 

 

Registros na Fórmula 1

 

Anos 1991-2001

Time(s) Lotus, McLaren

GPs disputados 165 (161 largadas)

Campeonatos 2 (1998-1999)

Vitórias 20

Pódios 51

Pontos 420

Pole positions 26

Voltas mais rápidas 25

 

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ncQVwyxfRK8

 

MITXICOOOOOOO

Editado 27 Março 2011 por AnDeRsHoW

[Bugno09]

Walter Röhrl

 

At the age of 16, Röhrl began working for the Bishop of Regensburg, and soon became a driver who covered about 120,000 kilometres (75,000 mi) annually as the bishop's driver. Having also now been active in sports like skiing, he was invited to drive his first rally in 1968.

Röhrl was a World Rally Championship favorite throughout the 1970s and 1980s, winning the Monte Carlo Rally four times with four different marques. His co-driver for many years was Christian Geistdörfer. His Fiat 131 Abarth carried him to the 1980 title, clinched with his victory in that year's San Remo rally, but it was arguably his equivalent success in 1982 that impressed most of all, with Röhrl fending off audacious four-wheel drive opposition, led by Audi's resurgent Michèle Mouton, to take the title, by virtue of consistency, in his increasingly outmoded rear-drive Opel Ascona 400. It was also during this time that he won the African Rally Championship, in 1982.

 

In 1983, he joined Lancia to pilot the new, rear-wheel drive Lancia 037, before finally changing his machinery, in 1984, to the four-wheel drive Audi Quattro, an automobile actually incidentally produced in his home state of Bavaria.

Despite being selective in his choice of top-level events, albeit during a time when this was a less unusual occurrence for top-line drivers in the championship, he still scored 14 WRC victories in his career.

 

Active years 1973 - 1987

Teams Fiat, Opel, Lancia, Audi

Rallies 75

Championships 2 (1980, 1982)

Rally wins 14

Podiums 31

Stage wins 420

Total points 494

First rally 1973 Monte Carlo Rally

First win 1975 Acropolis Rally

Last win 1985 San Remo Rally

Last rally 1987 Acropolis Rally

 

Editado 27 Março 2011 por Bugno09

[Che]

Michael Schumacher

 

 

Michael Schumacher é um automobilista alemão, sete vezes campeão da principal categoria do automobilismo, e de acordo com o site oficial da Fórmula 1, Schumacher é "estatisticamente o maior piloto de todos os tempos da Fórmula 1", detém inúmeros recordes, incluindo voltas mais rápidas, maior número de campeonatos, vitórias, pole positions, pontos marcados e mais corridas ganhas em uma única temporada - 2004. Em 2002 ele se tornou o único piloto na história da F1 a terminar entre os três primeiros em cada corrida. É, também, um dos mais polêmicos pilotos da história categoria, sendo o que mais sofreu punições em todos os tempos.

 

Após três temporadas afastado da categoria que o consagrou, Schumacher retornou defendendo a Mercedes na temporada de 2010.[1]

 

Fora das pistas, Schumacher é um embaixador da UNESCO e um orador para a segurança do motorista. Ele esteve envolvido em inúmeros esforços humanitários ao longo de sua vida e doou dezenas de milhões de dólares para a caridade. Michael e seu irmão Ralf Schumacher, são os únicos irmãos a vencer corridas na Fórmula 1, e eles foram os primeiros irmãos 1° e 2° lugar na mesma corrida, em Montreal em 2001 e novamente em 2003.

 

 

Controvérsias

 

Durante sua longa carreira, Schumacher esteve envolvido em diversos incidentes, que causaram controvérsia. Schumacher tem sido condenado na mídia britânica por seu envolvimento em colisões que decidiram os títulos de 1994 e 1997. [7] Os jornais alemães e italianos condenaram amplamente suas ações em 1997. [8] O incidente de 1994 foi visto pela FIA como um incidente de corrida e não trouxe nenhuma sanção, mas o incidente de 1997 desclassificou Schumacher do campeonato.

[editar]

Colisões que decidiram campeonatos

 

Indo para o Australian Grand Prix 1994, a corrida final da temporada de 1994, Schumacher estava apenas 1 ponto na frente de Damon Hill no campeonato. Schumacher liderou a corrida desde o início, com Hill o acompanhando de perto. Na volta 35, Schumacher saiu da pista, batendo numa parede com as rodas do lado direito. [9] Não se sabia se o carro de Schumacher havia sido danificado, mas ele retornou para a pista em velocidade reduzida, ainda liderando a corrida. Na curva seguinte, quando Hill tentou ultrapassá-lo por dentro, enquanto Schumacher estava virando a curva, Schumacher e Hill colidiram. O carro de Schumacher saiu da corrida. Hill foi ao pit imediatamente e retirou-se da corrida com danos irreparáveis. Como nenhum piloto pontuou, Schumacher levou o título [10]

 

As opiniões ficaram divididas sobre o incidente. Escritor, e jornalista de Fórmula 1, o britânico Alan Henry escreveu que Schumacher foi responsabilizado por "muitos membros da F1" para o incidente. No entanto, o comentarista de Fórmula 1 Murray Walker acredita que não foi um movimento deliberado. [11] Os comissários de corrida consideraram um acidente de corrida e não tomaram nenhuma ação contra qualquer piloto.

 

Em 1997, no Grande Prêmio da Europa em Jerez de la Frontera, a última corrida da temporada, Schumacher liderava o campeonato novamente por 1 ponto, desta vez, sobre Jacques Villeneuve. O piloto canadense começou a corrida na pole position. Na primeira curva da corrida, Schumacher estava na frente de Villeneuve. Na volta 48, Villeneuve passou Schumacher na curva Dry Sack. Como ele fez isso, Schumacher virou o carro para dentro do carro Williams, a roda direita da frente da Ferrari de Schumacher bateu no pod lado esquerdo do carro de Villeneuve. Schumacher saiu da corrida imediatamente, enquanto Villeneuve foi capaz de terminar a corrida em terceiro lugar, ganhando quatro pontos e assim se tornando o Campeão do Mundo.

 

Duas semanas depois da corrida, Schumacher teve seus resultados excluídos da temporada depois de uma audiência disciplinar da FIA que o desqualicou, achando que sua manobra "foi uma reação instintiva e, embora não intencional feita com malícia ou premeditação. Foi um erro grave." Isto fez dele o único piloto na história do esporte a ser desclassificado de um Campeonato do Mundo [12]. Schumacher aceitou a decisão [13] e admitiu ter cometido um erro.

 

 

Estatísticas e recordes

 

• 
   
  
• GP dos EUA de 2004
  
• Número de corridas: 269
  
• Número de vitórias: 91 (33,8%)
  
• Total de pontos: 1441
  
• Pódios: 154 (57,2%)
  
• Schumacher é o único piloto a ter terminado uma temporada inteira no pódio, em 2002. (17 pódios)
  
• Pódios seguidos: 19 (2001-2002)
  
• Pole positions: 68 (25,2%)
  
• Corridas seguidas com pontos: 24 (2001-2003)
  
• 22 vezes fez a pole, venceu a corrida e fez a melhor volta
  
• Vitória largando da pole position: 40 (58,8%)
  
• Vitórias no mesmo grande prémio: 8 (França)
  
• Temporadas seguidas com vitória: 15
  
• Melhores voltas: 76 (29%)
  
• Pontos na mesma temporada: 148 (2004) - de 180 possíveis, ou seja, 82,2%
  
• Vitórias na mesma temporada: 13 (2004) - em 18 GPs, ou seja, 72,2% de vitórias
  
• Vitórias seguidas numa temporada: 7 (2004)
  
• Segundos lugares: 43
  
• Voltas na liderança: 4741
  
• 247,585 km/h maior média de velocidade em uma corrida
  
• Maior período como campeão: quatro anos, 11 meses e 17 dias (8 de Outubro de 2000 a 25 de Setembro de 2005)
  
• Único piloto com um vice-campeonato cassado pela FIA: 1997
  
• Maior número de sanções aplicadas pela FIA: 10
  
• Maior pontuação de um vice-campeão: 121 (2006)
  
• Título mais rápido: 2002 (foi campeão em Julho com seis corridas de antecedência)
  
• Título com maior vantagem de pontos: 77 (2002)
  
• Schumacher e o brasileiro Rubens Barrichello também têm o recorde de dobradinhas na história da Fórmula 1: 24 (2000-2005)
  
• Títulos mundiais: 7 (1994, 1995, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004)
  
• Fortuna avaliada (2006): 600 milhões de euros
  

 

Editado 28 Março 2011 por emanuel11v2

[Múry]

Desculpem mas para esta votação deveriam entrar nomes como:

1 - Niki Lauda

2 - Alain Prost

3 - Ayrton Senna

4 - Colin Mcrae

5 - Carlos Sainz

 

Edit: Lembrei-me agora do Nigel Mansell; Damon Hill; Juan Pablo Montoya (na formula Indi claro).

Editado 29 Março 2011 por Múry

[Peplin]

Múry, propõe 1 nome e esse nome entrará na votação. ;)

[Hawkeye]

Ayrton Senna

 

Ayrton Senna da Silva[1] (São Paulo, 21 de março de 1960 Bolonha, 1 de maio de 1994) foi um piloto brasileiro de Fórmula 1, três vezes campeão mundial, nos anos de 1988, 1990 e 1991. Foi também vice-campeão no controverso campeonato de 1989 e em 1993. Morreu em acidente no Autódromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari, em Ímola, durante o Grande Prêmio de San Marino de 1994. É considerado um dos maiores nomes do esporte brasileiro e um dos maiores pilotos da história do automobilismo[2][3]

 

Edit:

Épocas na F1

 

Uploaded with ImageShack.us

Editado 29 Março 2011 por Blue_Union

[Múry]

Múry, propõe 1 nome e esse nome entrará na votação. ;)

É difícil escolher um só nome dos que indiquei, mas ok, a minha escolha vai para o Colin Mcrae.

 

[Bugno09]

Oh Mury, como podes comparar Colin McRae a Montoya, Hill ou Mansell? McRae é, apenas, um dos melhores pilotos de ralis dos últimos 20 anos

Editado 29 Março 2011 por Bugno09

[Ed]

Tommi Mäkinen

 

 

Rallies - 139

 

WRC - 4 (1996, 1997, 1998, 199)

 

Relly wins - 24

 

Podiums - 45

 

Stage Wins - 362

 

 

Edit: O melhor andebolista de sempre não ganhou... :angry:

Editado 29 Março 2011 por Ed

[Peplin]

Sébastien Loeb

 

 

Sébastien Loeb (born 26 February 1974) is a French rally driver currently driving for the Citroën World Rally Team in the World Rally Championship. He has won the WRC world championship seven times in a row (from 2004 to 2010), setting not only a historical record for the number of titles in WRC but also for the number of titles won successively in a motorsport competition.[1] He also came second of the 2003 season, losing to Petter Solberg by only one point.

 

He also holds the record for most wins in the series (62 as of November 14, 2010) and most – and tied second most – consecutive wins in a rally season with six and five (multiple times) respectively.

 

Originally a gymnast, Loeb switched to rallying in 1995 and won the Junior World Rally Championship in 2001. Signed by the Citroën factory team for the 2002 season, he and co-driver Daniel Elena took their debut WRC win that same year at the Rallye Deutschland. After finishing runner-up to Petter Solberg by one point in 2003, Loeb took his first drivers' title in 2004. Continuing with Citroën, he went on to take a record seventh consecutive world title in 2010.

 

Besides his success in rallying, Loeb is a three-time winner at the Race of Champions, after taking home the Henri Toivonen Memorial Trophy and the title "Champion of Champions" in 2003, 2005 and 2008. In 2004, he won the Nations' Cup for France with Jean Alesi. In 2006, he finished second in the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

 

 

Early career

 

Loeb was born in Haguenau, Alsace, and grew up in Oberhoffen-sur-Moder. He competed as gymnast and became a four-time Alsatian champion, once champion of the French Grand East, and fifth in the French championship.[2] He broke off school in 1992 but resumed taking classes in 1994, aiming at a professional formation in electrical engineering. On 12 September 1994, in parallel with his classes, he started working as an electrician at the Socalec company near Haguenau Airport, where he was the oldest apprentice and already noted for his daring/reckless driving style and his tendency not to be punctual. He could count, though, on the understanding of his boss, who was himself fascinated by speed and owned a Ferrari Testarossa 512 TR.[3]

 

In 1995, at age 21, he quit his job and classes and definitely turned his attention to racing. In 1998, he started entering events in the French Citroën Saxo Trophy series, winning the title in 1999. Guy Fréquelin, Citroën Sport's team principal, would serve as Loeb's mentor as he entered the Junior World Rally Championship in 2001, becoming the series' first champion by winning five of the six events. During this year, he was also released for participation in the Rallye Sanremo in the Citroën Xsara WRC. In only his third world rally with a World Rally Car, he surprisingly hounded Peugeot tarmac specialist and eventual victor Gilles Panizzi to the finish.

 

 

2002–03

 

The 2002 season was Loeb's first as a WRC driver with the Citroën Total World Rally Team, although the team only participated in seven rounds in the build-up to their full entry the following year. Loeb started the season by provisionally winning the Monte Carlo Rally, after racing under appeal due to a two-minute time penalty incurred by an illegal tyre change during the second day. Citroën considered the penalty too severe but later withdrew the appeal, and Subaru's Tommi Mäkinen then took a record fourth consecutive Monte Carlo win. Loeb later took his debut victory at the Rallye Deutschland in Germany, edging out Peugeot's Richard Burns.

 

In 2003, his first full season in the championship, Loeb won three WRC events, Monte Carlo, Germany and Sanremo, before losing to Petter Solberg in the Wales Rally Great Britain, also losing the championship to him by just one point. Loeb's reputation grew as he defeated his more illustrious team mates – Carlos Sainz and Colin McRae – over the course of the season. At the end of the year, he earned the title "Champion of Champions" by beating Marcus Grönholm in the final of the Race of Champions.

 

 

2004

 

In the 2004 season, Loeb dominated the WRC scene in a similar way to the Michael Schumacher domination of Formula One the same year, by winning six events and taking six runner-up spots to securely give him the drivers' title, 36 points clear of second-placed Solberg. His six WRC victories tied the record for victories in one season with fellow Frenchman Didier Auriol, who won six events in 1992. He was also responsible for Citroën's second manufacturers' title in a row.

 

Originally known as a tarmac specialist, 2004 was the year Loeb proved himself capable of winning on other surfaces as well. He won the snow-based Swedish Rally, becoming the first non-Nordic to win the event. On gravel, he triumphed in the Cyprus Rally, Rally of Turkey and the Rally Australia. On tarmac, he continued his success in Monte Carlo and Germany.

 

 

2005

 

In 2005, with victory in the ninth round in Argentina, Loeb became the first to win six consecutive rallies, beating Timo Salonen's record of four from 1985. Having already won the season-opening Rallye Automobile Monte Carlo, he also became the first to win seven in a season, beating his (and Didier Auriol's) own record of six wins in a season. Loeb was in a position to clinch the title while leading the Wales Rally Great Britain, but after it was announced that the last two stages of the rally would be abandoned due to the death of Markko Märtin's co-driver Michael Park in an accident on stage 15, Loeb deliberately incurred a two-minute penalty to drop him to third place and avoid retaining his title in such circumstances. He went on to secure the title by finishing second to Peugeot's Marcus Gronholm at the next rally in Japan.

 

Loeb eventually extended his win record to ten and won the title with a 56-point margin, breaking a 25-year-old record; Walter Röhrl's margin over Hannu Mikkola in 1980 was 54. Loeb set several other records during the season as well. He won all twelve stages in the 2005 Tour de Corse in France, which marked the first time a driver had won every stage of a WRC rally. Loeb's twelve podium and thirteen points-scoring finishes in a row were also new records in the series.

 

In the Race of Champions, after being surprised by the young event rookie Heikki Kovalainen last year, he beat Tom Kristensen in the final to claim his second title.

 

 

2006

 

Citroën's parent company, PSA Peugeot Citroën, pulled both manufacturers out of the WRC at the end of 2005, but Citroën planned to return in 2007 with the C4 WRC, and developed the car during 2006. Loeb was closely involved with this as he was guaranteed the leading role in the team at the comeback. In the meantime, a 'gap year' beckoned in the privateer ranks, namely with Citroën-sponsored Kronos Racing entered as the Kronos Total Citroën World Rally Team.

 

In order to score on the first round in Monte Carlo, Loeb was initially forced to activate the SupeRally rules for retiring competitors, having spun off the road on day one. Although he did manage to fight his way back to second place, it was the first time he had ever been beaten to the finish (namely by fellow double world champion Marcus Grönholm) on these roads in the Xsara WRC. This outcome was mirrored on the following month's Swedish Rally, with Grönholm again the man to whom Loeb was forced to give best, placing the duo in an early runaway 1–2 position in the points standings.

Loeb on a road section during the 2006 Rally Finland

 

But the Frenchman's bridesmaid status was not to last, and racking up a triumph on the ensuing Rally Mexico – the first of five on the trot that season – propelled him into a championship lead he was never to lose. He tied Carlos Sainz's record number of 26 individual rally victories in August with a fifth consecutive victory in Germany. With his subsequent victory in Japan, the world record of 27 victories and counting eventually became his. His victory in Cyprus put him on the verge of a third consecutive World Rally Championship title.

 

Shortly after Loeb broke his right humerus in a mountain-biking accident near his home in Switzerland and missed the rallies in Turkey and Australia. In spite of this, Loeb had accumulated such a huge point lead before Turkey that Marcus Grönholm's failure to finish third or better in Australia handed Loeb the 2006 championship crown. He received the news at home via an Internet video link to the rally HQ. Due to the time difference, he made do with early morning coffee instead of the customary champagne, calling the whole experience "strange".

 

 

2007

 

For 2007, Sébastien Loeb returned as an official Citroën driver, with the new Citroën C4 WRC. He won the 75ème Rallye Automobile de Monte-Carlo, the first race for the new C4, following that up with a solid second place after Grönholm, in Sweden, to set up a two-point lead over the Finn after two of 16 rounds. At the first Rally Norway, Loeb went off and lost eight minutes during SS12 while chasing Grönholm and the leader, Mikko Hirvonen. On the next stage, he made another mistake and lost nine minutes. He eventually finished 14th in the rally and dropped to third in the championship standings. He won 8 of the 18 stages in this rally. Loeb won the next rally, the 21º Corona Rally México, 55.8 seconds clear of Grönholm.

 

He then followed this success up with his third and fourth season victories on the Portuguese and Argentinian rallies. Characteristically, he was once more to be found in the lead on the seventh round, the Rally d' Italia in Sardinia. On new stages on the final leg to those of the previous year, however, Loeb was once more to lament error and the surrender of probable victory, this time after crashing and breaking his suspension in a ditch. He left the lead in the hands of Grönholm, who won to propel himself seven points ahead of Loeb at the top of the championship standings. A second loss to the Finn in as many years on the Acropolis Rally then extended the deficit to nine points over the championship's summer break.

 

Loeb occupied his recess by, amongst other engagements, competing in the Shell Donegal International Rally on 15, 16 and 17 June, partially as preparation for the coming Rally Ireland world championship round that November. He scored a comprehensive victory, albeit only after being given a scare by the pace of tenacious private Subaru-mounted Mark Higgins. Punctures afflicted upon his rival eventually settled the contest.

 

Ambitions of finally scoring victory on Rally Finland proved once more unrealized, with Loeb relegated to third place behind the pacy natives Grönholm and Hirvonen. Rallye Deutschland, as was traditional, differed somewhat. Although, at the scene of his first victory and on a rally where he had never subsequently lost, Loeb was left unexpectedly to fend off the challenge not of the Finn, but of a privateer, his one-time team-mate and championship returnee François Duval, he came to eventually triumph, reducing some of his championship points deficit.

Loeb at the 2007 Wales Rally GB

 

A very close battle on the gravel stages of Rally New Zealand ended with the closest second place in the whole of World Rally history – Loeb finished only 0.3 s behind his main rival. The next two rounds, however, allowed the French driver to regain some points, as he won both tarmac events – Rallye Espana, where his teammate Danni Sordo additionally took second place and two points from Grönholm, and Rally France.

 

Rally Japan was another dramatic event – Loeb got the chance to take the lead in Championship after Grönholm's early mistake,[4] but he was unable to, as his co-driver mistake caused the C4 to go off road on one of the stages of second leg. Both drivers ended with no points after finally retiring from the event.[5] In Ireland, during 1st Rally Ireland almost the same story happened – Marcus Grönholm overcooked a slippery right corner on one of the early stages, trying to keep a fast pace, and had to retire from the rally. Loeb made use of his rival's mistake and, by making no major mistakes, although having some suspension-related problems with keeping pace at the beginning,[6] he added 10 points to his account, moving ahead of Finnish driver just one round before the season's end. In Wales he was not fighting for the win, focusing mostly on securing his advantage, finishing the event third – on 2 December 2007 Loeb became World Rally Champion for the fourth time in a row.[7]

 

 

2008

 

Loeb started the 2008 season with a record fifth win in Monte Carlo.[8] On the second rally of the year, 2008 Swedish Rally, he crashed out during day one. Although he re-joined the rally to collect manufacturers' points, the team later decided to retire him due to a damaged engine. After winning in Mexico and Argentina, Loeb had a crash with Conrad Rautenbach in Jordan, from which he could only recover to take tenth place in the rally. He went on to win two events, and then finish close third to the Ford factory team duo Mikko Hirvonen and Jari-Matti Latvala at the Rally of Turkey.

 

Loeb later notably won the Rally Finland ahead of Hirvonen. This was the fourth time in the event's 58-year history that a non-Nordic driver won the rally, after Carlos Sainz in 1990, Didier Auriol in 1992 and Markko Märtin in 2003. This started a string of five victories for Loeb. In Germany, New Zealand and Spain, Citroën also took double wins as his team-mate Dani Sordo took three runner-up spots in a row.

Loeb during the 2008 Rally Argentina

 

Going into the penultimate round of the season, the 2008 Rally Japan, Loeb led Hirvonen by 14 points and needed a third place to secure the world drivers' title. Finishing behind Ford's Hirvonen and Latvala, Loeb broke Juha Kankkunen's, Tommi Mäkinen's and his own record of four titles and became the first five-time world champion in rallying.[9]

 

After clinching the World Rally Championship, Loeb edged out Latvala to take his first Wales Rally GB win, a feat which also helped secure his team their first manufacturers' title since 2005, from 2006 and 2007 victors Ford. In December, Loeb won the individual 2008 Race of Champions, becoming the second driver after compatriot Auriol to win the event more than twice.

 

 

2009

 

Loeb started the year by winning Rally Ireland for the second time since 2007. He then won his first Rally Norway ever, after a fierce battle with Mikko Hirvonen, lasting throughout the very final stage. Being first on the road through all three days, Loeb kept his lead, in the end winning with 9.8 seconds over Hirvonen. Loeb continued his good form by winning over Hirvonen in Cyprus, marking his career 50th victory, and in Portugal. His victory in Argentina, the fifth in a row in this country, was also his fifth victory in a row since the start of the season.

 

At the Rally d'Italia Sardegna, Loeb had a puncture after going off the road and dropped from third to fourth.[10] Although he passed Petter Solberg for the final podium spot, he still finished fourth due to a time penalty for a safety rule violation; co-driver Daniel Elena had unfastened his safety belts before the crew stopped the car for a tyre change.[11] At the Acropolis Rally, Loeb crashed out from third place.[12] On Rally Poland's return to the WRC, Loeb had another crash but he continued in the event under superally rules. After team orders issued for the Citroën Junior Team drivers and a late mistake by Ford's Jari-Matti Latvala, Loeb found himself seventh but had lost the championship lead to Hirvonen by one point.[13]

 

By winning the Rally Catalunya, Loeb reduced the deficit to Hirvonen in the title race before the final event of the year; once again trailing by a single point.[14] The Frenchman gained the championship by winning the final event of the year, the Rally GB. Victory was secured partly due to an incredible performance over SS8 and SS9, where in the course of only two stages Loeb extended his lead in the rally over Hirvonen from 2.4s to 25s.

 

 

2010

 

The 2010 WRC season started with the snow-based Swedish Rally, where Loeb finished second behind Ford's Mikko Hirvonen. He went on to take a clear championship lead by winning the following three gravel events: Rally México, Jordan Rally and Rally of Turkey. In New Zealand, Loeb finished third in a tight battle that saw the top five finish within 26 seconds of each other. In Portugal, Loeb narrowly lost the win to his countryman Sébastien Ogier of the Citroën Junior Team, who took his debut win in the World Rally Championship. In the following Rally Bulgaria, a new event in the series and the season's first tarmac rally, Loeb won while Citroën scored the WRC's first 1–2–3–4 in seventeen years.[17]

 

At the 60th Rally Finland, Loeb beat Citroën privateer Petter Solberg to the final podium position, behind Ford's Jari-Matti Latvala and Ogier. He went on to win the Rallye Deutschland for the eighth time in a row, marking the first time a driver has won a WRC rally eight times.[18] After a fifth place in Japan, Loeb secured a record-extending seventh consecutive World Rally Championship title by winning his home event, the Rallye de France. As the Rallye de France–Alsace had replaced the Tour de Corse as the French round of the WRC, Loeb ended up clinching the title on a final stage that was held in his home town of Haguenau, Alsace.

 

 

Victories

 

 

 

Complete WRC results