Loeb takes Monte Carlo victory

The Frenchman finished the rally with a comfortable lead over Dani Sordo, as Citroen marked their return to the WRC with a one-two finish.

The event concluded with just one superspecial stage around part of the Monaco Grand Prix circuit early on Sunday, and Loeb was delighted to win in his first event since suffering a broken arm in September.

"This is a great moment," he said. "I like to start the season like this with 10 points, the feeling is good in the team with this result."

Both drivers praised the new car throughout the weekend, as it comfortably outperformed their main rivals from Ford.

"The feeling is very good with the new car," said Loeb, "and my arm is getting much better so hopefully we will have a good year."

Marcus Gronholm had resigned himself to finishing third after the first day of the event, and the Finn was more than a minute clear of a thrilling battle for fourth place by the end.

Despite just one stage taking place on Sunday morning, Mikko Hirvonen and Chris Atkinson had plenty to play for with just 0.8 seconds separating them going into the stage.

The pair had traded places throughout Saturday's stages, and Atkinson put in a storming drive to take the final stage victory and edge ahead of Hirvonen by just 0.2 seconds.

"We really focused there," said Atkinson, who took his best ever finish on the event. "It's been a tough battle all weekend, and it's been great fun fighting with Mikko."

It was Atkinson's first asphalt rally in the latest-spec Subaru, after Stephane Sarrazin was drafted in for the Tarmac rallies last year.

"I came into this year with a new attitude," he said. "I've been training harder than ever, and it's a real step forward for us to be able to split the Fords on Tarmac."

Petter Solberg made sure that both Subarus were in the top six to complete a positive weekend for the team, as they await the arrival of their new car in time for the fourth round of the season in Mexico.

Toni Gardemeister was disappointed to finish seventh after the Mitsubishi driver targeted a top five finish on the event, while Jan Kopecky took the final point in his Skoda.

French driver Jean-Marie Cuoq took ninth place, after an event where he had set some remarkable stage times on his local roads.

Manfred Stohl had a tough weekend as he tried to adapt to the Kronos Racing Citroen Xsara, but the majority of his weekend was hampered by brake problems, and he had to settle for tenth.

Top 10 - final result:

Pos   Driver        Make         Time
 1.   Loeb          Citroen      3:10:27.4
 2.   Sordo         Citroen      +    38.2
 3.   Gronholm      Ford         +  1:22.8
 4.   Atkinson      Subaru       +  2:28.1
 5.   Hirvonen      Ford         +  2:28.3
 6.   Solberg       Subaru       +  3:12.0
 7.   Gardemeister  Mitsubishi   +  3:38.1
 8.   Kopecky       Skoda        +  4:39.4
 9.   Cuoq          Peugeot      +  5:59.7
10.   Stohl         Citroen      +  6:37.3