Loeb claims Rally of Jordan AMMAN – Citroen's Sebastien Loeb won the Rally of Jordan Saturday to extend his lead in the championship standings after a controversial final day on the shores of the Dead Sea. The Frenchman, taking his 56th win at world championship level, finished 35.8 seconds ahead of Finland's Jari-Matti Latvala in a Ford. Both teams used extreme tactics to avoid having their front-running drivers starting first and sweeping the roads for those behind. Norwegian Petter Solberg, in a privately-entered Citroen, was third , 1 minute 11 seconds behind Loeb. Loeb now has 68 points to Latvala's 43 and Finnish driver Mikko Hirvonen's 37. “It has been a great weekend, it's a very difficult rally, very hard and very fast, and there were a lot of stones,” Loeb said. “I was happy to finish with this rally now - it was a good fight. I am really happy to be here.” Latvala said he was happy to have kept up with Loeb. “We couldn't try for the victory but finishing second is good for me, it's a good result,” Latvala said. “It definitely boosted my confidence now so maybe we can be more of a challenge for Loeb.” The Frenchman had led overnight but facing the disadvantage of having to go first and act as roadsweeper for the following Latvala. To get around that, Citroen instructed second placed Sebastien Ogier to check in early for the opening stage - a transgression that would force the younger Frenchman to run first. Ford in turn asked Hirvonen, out of the reckoning for victory after hitting a bank Friday, to check in early so that he could run ahead of compatriot and teammate Latvala on the road. Finland's Kimi Raikkonen finished eighth for Citroen, the former Formula One world champion taking his first points in rallying at world championship level since he made the switch at the end of last year. The fourth round of the World Rally Championship starts in Turkey on April 16.
