WORLD RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP:CITROEN'S WORLD champion Sebastien Loeb won the Rally of Turkey yesterday for his third victory in a row. After heavy overnight rain forced the day's opening two stages to be cancelled because they had been turned into a mudbath, the Frenchman finished 54.5 seconds ahead of Norwegian Petter Solberg in a privately-entered Citroen.

Ford’s Finnish driver Mikko Hirvonen was third, after hitting a rock and picking up a rear tyre puncture on the last day, to deny Citroen a podium sweep.

Citroen’s Dani Sordo, who had been third, crashed out and junior team driver Sebastien Ogier was fourth for the French manufacturer. Former Ferrari Formula One champion Kimi Raikkonen finished fifth for his second successive points finish and best result since he switched from grand prix racing at the end of last season.

Loeb, chasing his seventh title in a row, took his record career tally of wins to 57 and extended his championship lead to 40 points.

The Citroen driver has 93, Solberg 53 and Hirvonen 52.

Loeb was quickest through the day’s opening Ballica stage, returning to service with a smile on his face after his car flew some 85 metres through the air off one of the jumps. “It was an incredible sensation as we were up in the air for several seconds,” he said. “Not for a moment did we imagine that we would jump so far.”

Loeb led from the front. “This victory gives me a lot of pleasure. The route was a real challenge with some very quick sections and others in which you had to nurse the car.”