Sébastien Loeb Becomes Oldest Winner of a WRC Rally

• Incredibly the 47-year-old Loeb made up nearly half a minute for the win.

• Loeb was starting his first WRC event after more than a year away.

• Co-driver Isabelle Galmiche, a 50-year-old school teacher, is the first female on the top step of a WRC podium since 1997.

Sébastien Loeb became the oldest winner of an FIA World Rally Championship round after grabbing a remarkable Rallye Monte-Carlo victory from Sébastien Ogier on Sunday.

The 47-year-old Frenchman trailed Ogier by almost half a minute heading into the second to last speed test of the four-day event in the French Alps.

But when Ogier limped to the finish with a front left tire puncture, Loeb reclaimed a lead he had given up to his rival Saturday. He stayed calm through the final test to seal his eighth Monte-Carlo win in a Ford Puma by 10.5 seconds.

Loeb, starting his first WRC event after more than a year, was competing for the British M-Sport Ford team in a one-off appearance. He now joins Ogier at the top of the Monte-Carlo roll of honor with eight wins.

His victory means he has topped the WRC podium in three different decades. Co-driver Isabelle Galmiche, a 50-year-old schoolteacher who was making her first top-tier start, became the first female winner of a WRC race since 1997.