The result of this weekend's Rally Principe de Asturias in Spain has handed Peugeot its third consecutive Manufacturers' crown in the Intercontinental Rally Challenge (IRC), with two rounds of the 2009 series remaining.
For the past three years, the Peugeot 207 Super 2000 has stood out as the machine to beat in the IRC, and the close-formation finish – behind Kopecky's Skoda – achieved by Peugeot's representives in Spain this weekend has handed the Manufacturers' title to the brand for the third year running.
This achievement is a fitting reward for the everyday work that goes on at Peugeot Sport's base in Vélizy, near Paris, where it endeavours to develop the most competitive evolutions aimed at allowing 207 Super 2000 owners – subsidiaries, importers and privateers alike – to challenge for outright victory. To date, this year, Peugeot drivers have scored a resounding one-two-three finish on January's Rallye Monte Carlo, plus three wins in a row for Great Britain's Kris Meeke.
But while the fight for the Manufacturers' crown has been settled ahead of the championship's remaining visits to Sanremo and Scotland, there is still everything to play for in the Drivers' title chase. Kris Meeke continues to top the standings, but his advantage over Jan Kopecky has been reduced to just one point. The Briton was forced to push hard in Spain to come back after an off and a puncture on SS4. He completed the opening day in seventh spot, but succeeded in passing Vouilloz – who also lost time with a puncture on the Friday – to bag second place just before the finish. Loix finished just shy of the podium ahead of a fourth Peugeot 207 Super 2000
in the hands of Fontana.
Rally Principe de Asturias (round 8 of 10) – final positions:
1. KOPECKY/STARY (Skoda Fabia), 2h 41m 51.0s.
2. MEEKE/NAGLE (Peugeot207), +2m 46.9s.
3. VOUILLOZ/KLINGE (Peugeot 207), +2m 49.5s.
4. LOIX/MICLOTTE (Peugeot 207), +2m 58.9s.
5. FONTANA/CASSINA (Peugeot 207), +3m 45.0s.
6. HEVIA/IGLESIAS (Skoda Fabia), +4m 27.2s.
7. SOLOWOW/BARAN (Peugeot 207), +5m 58.0s.
8. BASSO/DOTTA (Abarth), +7m 3.8s.
9. WITTMANN/ETTEL (Mitsubishi), +9m 26.3s.
10. VINYES/MERCADER (Renault Clio), +10m 4.0s.
Manufacturers' championship standings:
1. Peugeot (109 points).
2. Skoda (72).
3. Mitsubishi (42).
4. Abarth (35).
5. Proton (5).
Drivers' championship standings:
1. K. Meeke (50 points).
2. J. Kopecky (49).
3. F.Loix (32).
4. G. Basso (28).
5. N. Vouilloz (25).
6. J. Hanninen (20).
7. S. Ogier (10).
8. C. Tundo (10).
9. A. Cavenagh (8).
10. B. Magalhaes (8). Etc..