Sébastien Loeb narrowly misses out on victory in the Porsche at the Rallye Charlemagne

On the final day, Loeb, alongside his co-driver Laurene Godey, launched a furious comeback. In the very last special stage, the World Rally Raid Championship leader clocked the fastest time in a thrilling showdown and, by a margin of just one tenth of a second, edged past Lefebvre and his co-driver Olivier Ural to take first place in the overall standings and secure what appeared to be a triumph

However, the joy was short-lived. As Loeb (just like Lefebvre the previous day) had missed an artificial chicane, he was subsequently handed a 10-second penalty. This time penalty saw the Alsatian relegated to second place, meaning Lefebvre in the Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 inherited the overall victory.

Im neuen Rallye Porsche 992 GT+ auf Platz 2: Sebastien Loeb

Foto: Red Bull

The 35th Rallye National Charlemagne – Golden Palace was held as an asphalt rally as part of the French Rally Championship’s second division. The headquarters and service zones were located in the northern French town of Haumont.

A total of ten special stages covering 148.92 kilometres were contested, making up a total distance of 387.34 kilometres.

Loeb had initially led from the second to the fourth special stage, but local hero Lefebvre then took the lead and managed to hold on to it right through to the final showdown.

Zunächst in dramatischem Finale zum Sieg: Sebastien Loeb

Foto: Facebook Loeb

Loeb is now a regular fixture at the Rallye Charlemagne. Last year, he competed in the legendary Peugeot 396 Maxi, but was unable to challenge for victory due to an incorrect tyre choice, though he still managed to finish third.

On his Charlemagne debut in 2023, Loeb had already secured overall victory in a Volkswagen Polo R5.