Sebastien Loeb has ended his last full season in the World Rally Championship on a high after claiming a hard-fought victory in Rally Catalunya this afternoon.
Loeb took the lead from Mads Ostberg on Day 2 and maintained a big enough gap from Jari-Matti Latvala to secure his 76th career win and his ninth of the season.
Ford driver Latvala drove a superb rally to end the season finale in second place ahead of Citroen’s Mikko Hirvonen and Adapta Ford’s Mads Ostberg who regained fourth from Ott Tanak, the latter having crashed out on SS16.
Jarkko Nikara finished fifth overall in Spain on his world rally car debut, with Dani Sordo moving up to ninth following a dominant performance in the closing stages of the rally.
Craig Breen clinched the 2012 Super 2000 title with seventh overall, beating rival PG Andersson, and putting an end to a sad season in which Breen’s original co-driver Gareth Roberts lost his life.