ROC: Kovalainen wins

The Finn took a 2-0 victory over Loeb in the overall final - although he certainly benefited from the fact that his rallying rival was handed a 10-second penalty in the second event for brushing the wall.

Kovalainen had taken first blood in the first heat of the final as he quickly got to grips with the Peugeot 307WRC - as Loeb twice hit trouble. The Frenchman spun into the tyres on the way onto the grid as he evaluated the conditions - and then brushed the wall at the exit of the first corner during the race.

That brush would almost certainly have handed him a 10-second penalty had he beaten Kovalainen, but there was no such chance as the Finn powered on to take a brilliant victory by 0.7977 seconds. "It's just incredible," beamed Kovalainen afterwards. "It was such good fun."

Kovalainen was favourite to grab victory in the Ferrari 360 second heat but he was powerless to stop Loeb pulling out a slight advantage around the tight Stade de France course. However, the Finn was gifted the win when Loeb was handed the penalty.

The French fans who had packed the stadium were not too happy to see their hero robbed of any chance of the win - and heartily jeered at the announcement that Loeb had been beaten.