Panizzi wins dramatic Catalunya rally<\/p>\n
Reuters , Lloret de Mar, Spain<\/p>\n
Peugeot's Gilles Panizzi snatched a last-gasp victory in the
\nRally of Catalunya on Sunday to push new world championship
\nleader Sebastien Loeb into second place and set up a four-way
\nshowdown for the title.<\/p>\n
Frenchman Loeb let a 31-second lead slip on a rain-lashed
\nfinal stage of the three-day race but second place was still
\nenough to take him level on points with fellow Citroen driver
\nCarlos Sainz at the top of the world championship standings.<\/p>\n
Petter Solberg, who improved from 10th to fifth on a dramatic
\nfinal day, is a point behind in third, while Richard Burns is now
\nfourth, five points behind Loeb and Sainz after abandoning on the
\n19th stage in Catalunya.<\/p>\n
An impossibly close title race will be decided between those
\nfour drivers at the British Rally from Nov. 6 to 9.<\/p>\n
On Saturday, Frenchman Sebastien Loeb held off a resolute
\nchallenge from Markko Martin to maintain a 20-second advantage in
\nthe Rally and keep the heat on world championship leader Carlos
\nSainz.<\/p>\n
Loeb, winner of four stages in his Citroen Xsara on Friday,
\nwas second best to Martin for much of day two, but victory in the
\nday's final leg kept him well clear of the Ford driver with six
\nstages to race on Sunday.<\/p>\n
Sainz, in second place at the end of the first day, slipped to
\nfourth and his slim lead in the championship standings is now
\nunder threat.<\/p>\n
With only the British Rally to come after Catalunya, Spanish
\nCitroen driver Sainz heads the standings by three points from
\nBritain's Richard Burns in his Peugeot and Petter Solberg of
\nNorway in a Subaru.<\/p>\n
After a promising start, Burns finished day two in sixth
\nplace, 35 seconds behind Sainz, while Solberg was down in 10th, a
\nfurther minute behind.<\/p>\n
Loeb, six points behind Sainz in the standings, could prove to
\nbe the Spaniard's main challenger.<\/p>\n
Loeb struggled to compete with Estonia's Martin and French
\nPeugeot driver Panizzi in Saturday's early stages, but came back
\nstrongly to win the final leg and reassert his authority.<\/p>",
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