Loeb holds off Hirvonen charge

Sebastien Loeb continued his perfect start to the new World Rally Championship season by taking victory on Rally Norway to deal a major blow to Ford’s title hopes.

The Frenchman was forced to hold off a charging Mikko Hirvonen to claim his second win from the first two rounds of the year despite spending most of the rally as the first man on the snowy stages, effectively acting as a road sweeper for his competitors .