History 2000s

2009 Cyprus Rally (Cyprus)

Overview Route Results Cars Challenges

Overview

Event Name: 2009 Cyprus Rally (Cyprus)

Date: March 13–15, 2009

Start Location: Limassol, Cyprus

Finish Location: Limassol, Cyprus

Total Distance: ~873.85 km

Competitive Stages: 332.07 km

Surface: Mixed (Day 1: Asphalt, Days 2–3: Gravel)

The 2009 Cyprus Rally introduced a rare challenge for WRC crews — a single rally combining both asphalt and gravel surfaces. Loeb’s adaptability shone once again, dominating on tarmac and maintaining control on gravel to secure his third win in as many rounds.

Route

Asphalto Special: Smooth, fast, and technical — perfect for tarmac specialists like Loeb.
Foini: A long gravel stage with constant surface changes and plenty of hairpins.
Panagia: Twisty gravel roads climbing through hills with loose rocks and narrow passages.

The rally’s format meant crews ran on asphalt-spec cars for Day 1 before switching to gravel setups overnight. Notable stages included:

The contrast between high-grip tarmac and loose gravel tested both driving style and car setup choices across the weekend.

🏆 Results

Overall Winner
Sébastien Loeb & Daniel Elena · Citroën C4 WRC
2nd Place
Mikko Hirvonen & Jarmo Lehtinen · Ford Focus RS WRC 08
3rd Place
Petter Solberg & Phil Mills · Citroën Xsara WRC

Loeb’s domination on Day 1’s asphalt stages gave him a comfortable lead, which he managed carefully on the gravel days while Hirvonen pushed hard to close the gap. Petter Solberg impressed in his privateer Xsara to take a podium on home soil for his team base.

Navigation & Challenges

  • Mixed-Surface Setup: Teams had to compromise suspension and differential settings for varied terrain.
  • Tire Strategy: Choosing correct compounds for changing grip levels was critical.
  • Surface Transitions: Sudden changes from high to low grip demanded perfect co-driver timing and smooth steering inputs.

Loeb’s unmatched versatility allowed him to master one of the WRC’s rare mixed-surface events, strengthening his early championship lead in 2009.

← Previous Event 2009 Rally Norway (Norway)
Back to Events Index
2009 Rally de Portugal (Portugal) Next Event →

Watch rallies anywhere — bypass region blocks with NordVPN.

Fast servers for HD streams Servers in 60+ countries 30-day money-back

Unblock coverage — Save up to 77% + 3 months free

Sponsored link. Using our partner links helps support Compromised Internals at no extra cost to you.