Sebastien Loeb got the defence of his World Rally Championship title off to the perfect start as he destroyed the field to win the Rally of Ireland in Donegal.

The Frenchman, chasing his sixth straight world crown, assumed the lead on stage four of the event on Friday and was never headed as he led home Citroen team-mate Dani Sordo and Ford's Mikko Hirvonen.

Loeb entered the final day holding a lead of over a minute over Sordo and he opted for a conservative approach in the five stages on the damp tarmac, winning only one of the day's tests.

Despite not pushing to the maximum there were moments of worry for the champion as he endured a major sideways moment as he ran off the stage on the penultimate test of the rally, but he regained his composure to ease to victory.

Loeb was delighted to open his account for the year with a win, to send out an ominous warning to his rivals.

'It's been a really tough rally but I'm very happy to take the 10 points,' said Loeb.

'Tarmac rallies are especially important to me. This one has been tricky for everyone, but now we're here at the finish with maximum points. It's a good start to the season!'

Hirvonen, Loeb's principal title rival in 2008, was also happy to get his challenge off to a solid start and his improving form on asphalt was shown by his four stage victories on the final day.

'It's a good start to the season,' said the Finn.

'We had some problems this weekend, I was hoping I could fight with Sordo but maybe that will come another time. It's still a good start to my season. Now I'm looking forward to the next round in Norway.'

Norway's Henning Solberg took a fine fourth place in his privateer Ford, his best finish on an asphalt rally, with Australia's Chris Atkinson fifth on his debut for the Citroen Junior Team after following Loeb's lead by running off the road on the penultimate test.

Atkinson's error proved more costly than that of the world champion as his car lodged itself under a rock ledge, costing him fourth place.

Sebastien Ogier was a solid sixth, with Cumbria's Matthew Wilson picking up points in seventh and Khalid Al Qassimi rounding out the top eight.

The next round of the championship is the Rally of Norway, which starts on 13 February.

Donegal's Shaun Gallagher won Group N in his Mitsubishi Evo just under three minutes from Gary Jennings.

Rally Ireland result:

1 Sebastien Loeb (France) Citroen 2:48:25.700
2 Daniel Sordo (Spain) Citroen +01:27.900
3 Mikko Hirvonen (Finland) Ford 02:07.800
4 Henning Solberg (Norway) Ford 06:32.400
5 Chris Atkinson (Australia) Citroen 07:51.900
6 Sebastien Ogier (France) Citroen 10:44.000
7 Matthew Wilson (Britain) Ford 11:23.800
8 Khalid Al Qassimi (UAE) Ford 14:07.900
9 Eamonn Boland (Ireland) Subaru 15:23.400
10 Urmo Aava (Estonia) Ford 15:35.400

Driver standings after the Rally Ireland:

1 Sebastien Loeb (France) 10 points
2 Daniel Sordo (Spain) 8
3 Mikko Hirvonen (Finland) 6
4 Henning Solberg (Norway) 5
5 Chris Atkinson (Australia) 4
6 Sebastien Ogier (France) 3
7 Matthew Wilson (Britain) 2
8 Khalid Al Qassimi (UAE) 1

Constructor standings:

1 Citroen Total WRT 18 points
2 BP-Ford Abu-Dhabi WRT 8
3 Stobart VK M-Sport Ford WRT 8
4 Citroen 5

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