Hirvonen,
Ostberg
on form

Using stages similar to those included on the upcoming Rallye de France-Alsace, the asphalt event is considered ideal preparation for round 11 of the WRC, which takes place from 4-7 October.

Finn Hirvonen, in a factory Citroen DS3 WRC, took victory with Norwegian Ostberg 22.2s behind in a Ford Fiesta RS WRC.

“We are really pleased with our weekend in the Vosges,” said Hirvonen afterwards. “It’s true that we were thrown straight in at the deep end with the terrible weather we had on Friday's stages, but we completed the three stages of this rally in very different situations, which helped us to acquire some good experience of the road surface. Basically, we have achieved our goals and we mustn’t forget that this is also our first win in the DS3 WRC. Now it’s just a question of applying what we have learned here when it comes to Rallye de France-Alsace in Strasbourg in a couple of weeks.”

Hirvonen wasn’t the only Citroen driver to impress: young French driver Sebastien Chardonnet finished third overall on his competitive debut in a DS3 WRC.