Citroen
Four-time world champion Sebastien Loeb of France won the event, collecting 10 points and is now just three points off the lead.
Loeb’s victory, the 40th of his career, was secured by just 10.4 seconds over Hirvonen.
The Citroen driver beat home Ford Focus pilot Mikko Hirvonen of Finland while another Finn Jari-Matti Latvala was third in a Ford Focus.
Loeb, who was winning along with co-pilot Daniel Elena his third Rally of Sardinia, had been ahead since the second special stage in a gripping contest.
“It’s been a difficult rally but we’re here! “ said Loeb. “I’ve had to push all the way for this result, but it was important for me to get good points here.
“Mikko will still lead the championship, but okay, I’m happy - and of course win number 40 is nice for me. “
Hirvonen heads the drivers’ standings on 43 points, just three ahead of Loeb.
“I’m happy with second, especially after such a slow start on Friday, “ said Hirvonen. “Jari-Matti pushed me all the way to the end - so it was close.
“Now I have to find a solution to improving my speed when I’m running first through the stages - because it’s going to be a similar situation in Greece. “
Jari-Matti Latvala took the final spot on the podium in the sister car and eventually finished just 4.7 seconds off his team-mate. It was a good performance from the 23-year-old, especially after he had lost around 1.5 minutes on day 1, when he hit a bank and picked up a puncture - dropping him to 14th. He put in a big push on day two and in the end won 10 of the 17 tests.
“It’s been an eventful rally, “ he noted. “On Friday I would have been happy to finish in the top five, so third is fantastic and gives me a big confidence boost. If I hadn’t made the mistake [in SS2], who knows what the outcome might have been. Yesterday was amazing and I literally pushed my hardest all day.
“I said at the start of the week a podium was what I was aiming for, and I’ve achieved that - the job is done. “
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