Loeb was a master of the trickey roads above Monte Carlo
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Frenchman Sebastien Loeb led home a Citroen one-two-three as he claimed his first win at the Monte Carlo Rally.
Loeb beat Briton Colin McRae by 38.1 seconds, while team-mate Carlos Sainz edged out Markko Martin for third place.
Britain's Richard Burns was fifth for champions Peugeot, who have never won the season opener, despite taking the manufacturers' title for the last three years.
It was 28-year-old Loeb's second career win, following his debut triumph in Germany last year when Citroen competed in a limited number of events.
"I concentrated hard right till the last few metres of the last
special because you never know what might happen," he said.
"I thought it was a trap to have such a good lead going into the final special," he added.