Marcus Gronholm, pictured flying in last year's Rally Finland, will be faster this week, says Sebastien Loeb.
HELSINKI - Citroen's triple world champion Sebastien Loeb believes in-form Finn Marcus Gronholm will have the advantage at his home rally, which starts this week.
"Finland is a completely different rally, all the Finnish drivers have lots of confidence here," Loeb told reporters.
"If Marcus (Gronholm) is too
fast and he wins, it is very important for me to finish second to stay in contact in the championship race."
Frenchman Loeb said team Citroen had been struggling in the tests, but added the car had got better.
World champion Loeb has never won in Finland, which has been notoriously difficult for non-Finns to conquer. The race has had only one non-native winner in the past 14 years, Estonian Markko Martin in 2003.
In contrast, Gronholm, has won the rally of Finland six times in seven years.
The Ford driver heads the world championship standings by nine points from Loeb at the halfway point of the season.
Gronholm has 65 points to Loeb's 56 with another Finn Mikko Hirvonen, also driving for Ford, third on 49.
The trio are the only drivers to secure race wins this year. Gronholm won the last race, the Acropolis Rally in Greece in June.
- REUTERS
