Sébastien Loeb and Daniel Elena (C4 WRC) dominated the closed-road rally with 11 fastest stage times to finish 24.9 seconds ahead of their Spanish team mates Dani Sordo and Marc Marti. For the Frenchman and his Monaco co-driver this was their ninth WRC victory of 2008, bringing their tally of WRC wins to 45.

Such was their early pace they could afford to ease off on Sunday's final leg and increase their lead in the WRC to 12 points over Finland's Mikko Hirvonen with three of the 15 events remaining.

For Citroen it was their second maximum points (18) score of the year and moves them into a 27 point advantage over the UK-based Ford Team in the Manufacturers' Championship.

Mikko Hirvonen, with Jarmo Lehtinen, set four fastest times on their way to third in their BP Abu Dhabi World Rally Team Ford Focus WRC, one place ahead of their Belgian Team mates François Duval and Patrick Pivato, who recorded two fastest times.

Norway's Petter Solberg and Welshman Phil Mills were fifth in their Subaru Impreza two places ahead of their team-mates Chris Atkinson and Stephane Prevot, with Finland's Jari-Matti Latvala in sixth.

Of the "Home Nations", England's Matthew Wilson and Scott Martin in their Stobart VK M-Sport Ford Rally Team Focus WRC were ninth, Ireland's Eamonn Boland was 15^th and Wales's Gareth Jones (Subaru Impreza) 18th. Ulsterman Kris Meeke retired but Irishman Shaun Gallagher (Citroen) was 22^nd and fourth in the Junior category.

Conrad Rautenbach (Citroen C4 WRC) co-driven by David Senior retired at Control 13.