Which rally gave Sébastien Loeb his first World Rally Championship win in 2002?

Rallye Deutschland gave Sébastien Loeb his first World Rally Championship victory in 2002. The event was held from 23 to 25 August as the tenth round of the season, with Loeb driving a Citroën Xsara WRC alongside co-driver Daniel Elena.

Loeb dominated the asphalt rally around Trier, winning for Citroën ahead of Peugeot drivers Richard Burns and Marcus Grönholm. The result was especially significant because it marked the beginning of Loeb’s transformation from promising specialist into the sport’s leading driver. He would later become the most successful driver in WRC history by victories and championships.

The win is sometimes confused with Loeb’s later successes at Rally Catalunya, Rallye Sanremo or other asphalt events. Those rallies became important parts of his career, but Germany was the breakthrough: his first overall WRC win came in only his second full-time season at the top level.

Loeb’s victory also began a remarkable run at Rallye Deutschland. He went on to win the event repeatedly, building one of the WRC’s most dominant records on a single rally before the event eventually left the championship calendar.