# 2009 Rally Argentina

The 2009 Rally Argentina was the 29th running of the Rally Argentina and the fifth round of the 2009 World Rally Championship season. The rally consisted of 23 special stages and was run on 23–26 April. It was won by Citroën's Sébastien Loeb for the fifth consecutive year. His teammate Dani Sordo finished second.
Ford's Mikko Hirvonen, who was in second place only six seconds behind Loeb after stage 14, retired from the rally due to an engine problem. This gave Loeb a 20-point lead in the drivers' championship. Hirvonen's teammate Jari-Matti Latvala, under pressure to get a good result after his recent crashes, dropped out of contention for the win after a puncture on Friday. His Focus WRC later experienced an electrical problem, costing him over eight minutes, but he managed to continue and finish sixth.
Following Ford's problems, Petter Solberg was on course for his second podium of the season, but he soon ran into fuel pressure problems and the third place was inherited by his brother Henning. This marked his career fourth podium finish. Home country's Federico Villagra beat Stobart's Matthew Wilson to take a career-best fourth place. Citroën Junior Team drivers Sébastien Ogier and Conrad Rautenbach both retired on Saturday. However, Ogier re-joined the rally under superally rules and finished seventh. Production World Rally Championship class winner Nasser Al-Attiyah took the last points-scoring position.

## Results

| Pos. | Driver | Co-driver | Car | Time | Difference | Points |
| WRC |||||||
| 1 | Sébastien Loeb | Daniel Elena | Citroën C4 WRC | 3:57:40.3 | 0.0 | 10 |
| 2 | Dani Sordo | Marc Marti | Citroën C4 WRC | 3:58:53.4 | 1:13.1 | 8 |
| 3 | Henning Solberg | Cato Menkerud | Ford Focus RS WRC 08 | 4:01:44.4 | 4:04.1 | 6 |
| 4 | Federico Villagra | Jorge Perez Companc | Ford Focus RS WRC 08 | 4:03:40.0 | 5:59.7 | 5 |
| 5 | Matthew Wilson | Scott Martin | Ford Focus RS WRC 08 | 4:03:51.2 | 6:10.9 | 4 |
| 6 | Jari-Matti Latvala | Miikka Anttila | Ford Focus RS WRC 08 | 4:07:30.3 | 9:50.0 | 3 |
| 7 | Sébastien Ogier | Julien Ingrassia | Citroën C4 WRC | 4:18:35.4 | 20:55.1 | 2 |
| 8 | Nasser Al-Attiyah | Giovanni Bernacchini | Subaru Impreza N14 | 4:20:51.9 | 23:11.6 | 1 |
| JWRC |||||||
| 1 | Michal Kosciuszko | Maciek Szczepaniak | Suzuki Swift S1600 | 4:42:28.0 | 0.0 | 10 |
| 2 | Aaron Nikolai Burkart | Michael Kölbach | Suzuki Swift S1600 | 4:44:08.7 | 1:39.9 | 8 |
| 3 | Alessandro Bettega | Simone Scattolin | Renault Clio S1600 | 4:50:02.0 | 7:33.2 | 6 |
| PWRC |||||||
| 1 | Nasser Al-Attiyah | Giovanni Bernacchini | Subaru Impreza N14 | 4:20:51.9 | 0.0 | 10 |
| 2 | Marcos Ligato | Rubén Garcia | Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X | 4:23:04.8 | 2:12.9 | 8 |
| 3 | Toshi Arai | Glenn MacNeall | Subaru Impreza | 4:27:27.9 | 6:36.0 | 6 |
| 4 | Spyros Pavlides | Chris Patterson | Subaru Impreza N14 | 4:45:10.4 | 24:18.5 | 5 |
| 5 | Eyvind Brynildsen | Denis Giraudet | Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX | 4:52:49.9 | 31:58.0 | 4 |
| 6 | Gabor Mayer | Robert Tagai | Subaru Impreza | 5:00:56.3 | 40:04.4 | 3 |

## Special stages

| Day | Stage | Time (ART) | Name | Length | Winner | Time | Rally leader |
| 1 (23-24 APR) | SS1 | 19:05 | Estadio Córdoba I | 2.4 km | Sébastien Loeb | 2:23.6 | Sébastien Loeb |
| 1 (23-24 APR) | SS2 | 7:45 | La Cumbre - Agua De Oro I | 14.94 km | Jari-Matti Latvala | 12:48.7 | Jari-Matti Latvala |
| 1 (23-24 APR) | SS3 | 8:41 | Ascochinga - La Cumbre I | 22.38 km | Dani Sordo | 14:44.1 | Dani Sordo |
| 1 (23-24 APR) | SS4 | 9:44 | Capilla Del Monte - San Marcos I | 22.95 km | Petter Solberg | 17:33.5 | Mikko Hirvonen |
| 1 (23-24 APR) | SS5 | 10:16 | San Marcos - Charbonier I | 9.61 km | Sébastien Loeb | 6:32.5 | Mikko Hirvonen |
| 1 (23-24 APR) | SS6 | 14:26 | Ascochinga - La Cumbre II | 22.38 km | Dani Sordo | 14:26.8 | Dani Sordo |
| 1 (23-24 APR) | SS7 | 15:29 | Capilla Del Monte - San Marcos II | 22.95 km | Mikko Hirvonen | 17:16.8 | Mikko Hirvonen |
| 1 (23-24 APR) | SS8 | 16:01 | San Marcos - Charbonier II | 9.61 km | Sébastien Loeb | 6:28.9 | Dani Sordo |
| 1 (23-24 APR) | SS9 | 17:04 | La Cumbre - Agua De Oro II | 14.94 km | Jari-Matti Latvala | 12:32.4 | Dani Sordo |
| 2 (25 APR) | SS10 | 9:38 | El Mirador - San Lorenzo I | 20.81 km | Sébastien Loeb | 11:28.0 | Dani Sordo |
| 2 (25 APR) | SS11 | 10:12 | Mina Clavero - Giulio Cesare I | 22.79 km | Sébastien Loeb | 18:18.2 | Dani Sordo |
| 2 (25 APR) | SS12 | 11:00 | El Condor - Copina I | 16.29 km | Sébastien Loeb | 13:04.6 | Sébastien Loeb |
| 2 (25 APR) | SS13 | 11:46 | Icho Cruz - Carlos Paz I | 9.73 km | Sébastien Loeb | 6:19.4 | Sébastien Loeb |
| 2 (25 APR) | SS14 | 15:23 | El Mirador - San Lorenzo II | 20.81 km | Mikko Hirvonen | 11:22.0 | Sébastien Loeb |
| 2 (25 APR) | SS15 | 15:57 | Mina Clavero - Giulio Cesare II | 22.79 km | Sébastien Loeb | 18:04.5 | Sébastien Loeb |
| 2 (25 APR) | SS16 | 16:45 | El Condor - Copina II | 16.29 km | Jari-Matti Latvala | 13:06.5 | Sébastien Loeb |
| 2 (25 APR) | SS17 | 17:31 | Icho Cruz - Carlos Paz II | 9.73 km | Sébastien Loeb | 6:26.6 | Sébastien Loeb |
| 2 (25 APR) | SS18 | 19:05 | Estadio Córdoba II | 2.4 km | Dani Sordo | 2:23.6 | Sébastien Loeb |
| 3 (26 APR) | SS19 | 8:48 | Villa Giardino - La Falda | 15.78 km | Sébastien Loeb | 11:18.2 | Sébastien Loeb |
| 3 (26 APR) | SS20 | 9:20 | Valle Hermoso - Casa Grande | 10.95 km | Sébastien Loeb | 7:14.8 | Sébastien Loeb |
| 3 (26 APR) | SS21 | 10:03 | Cosquin - Tanti | 11.27 km | Jari-Matti Latvala | 6:19.8 | Sébastien Loeb |
| 3 (26 APR) | SS22 | 10:26 | Tanta Nuevo - Villa Garcia | 7.6 km | Jari-Matti Latvala | 4:15.9 | Sébastien Loeb |
| 3 (26 APR) | SS23 | 12:05 | Estadio Córdoba III | 2.4 km | Sébastien Loeb | 2:26.6 | Sébastien Loeb |

## Championship standings after the event
### Drivers' championship

| Pos | Driver | IRL | NOR | CYP | POR | ARG | ITA | GRC | POL | FIN | AUS | ESP | GBR | Pts |
| 1 | Sébastien Loeb | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | | | | | | | | 50 |
| 2 | Dani Sordo | 2 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | | | | | | | | 31 |
| 3 | Mikko Hirvonen | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | Ret | | | | | | | | 30 |
| 4 | Henning Solberg | 4 | 4 | 18 | 5 | 3 | | | | | | | | 20 |
| 5 | Petter Solberg | | 6 | 3 | 4 | Ret | | | | | | | | 14 |
| 6 | Matthew Wilson | 7 | 7 | 5 | Ret | 5 | | | | | | | | 12 |
| 7 | Jari-Matti Latvala | 14 | 3 | 12 | Ret | 6 | | | | | | | | 9 |
| 7 | Federico Villagra | | | 7 | 7 | 4 | | | | | | | | 9 |
| 9 | Sébastien Ogier | 6 | 10 | Ret | 17 | 7 | | | | | | | | 5 |
| 10 | Chris Atkinson | 5 | | | | | | | | | | | | 4 |
| 11 | Mads Østberg | | 9 | | 6 | | | | | | | | | 3 |
| 11 | Conrad Rautenbach | 18 | Ret | 6 | Ret | Ret | | | | | | | | 3 |
| 11 | Khalid al-Qassimi | 8 | | 8 | 8 | | | | | | | | | 3 |
| 14 | Urmo Aava | 10 | 8 | | | | | | | | | | | 1 |
| 14 | Nasser Al-Attiyah | | | 11 | 16 | 8 | | | | | | | | 1 |
| Pos | Driver | IRL | NOR | CYP | POR | ARG | ITA | GRC | POL | FIN | AUS | ESP | GBR | Pts |
Key :
| Colour | Result |
| Gold | Winner |
| Silver | 2nd place |
| Bronze | 3rd place |
| Green | Points finish |
| Blue | Non-points finish |
| Blue | Non-classified finish (NC) |
| Purple | Did not finish (Ret) |
| Black | Excluded (EX) |
| Black | Disqualified (DSQ) |
| White | Did not start (DNS) |
| White | Cancelled (C) |
| Blank | Withdrew entry from the event (WD) |

### Manufacturers' championship

| Rank | Driver | Event | Event | Event | Event | Event | Event | Event | Event | Event | Event | Event | Event | Total points |
| Rank | Driver | IRL | NOR | CYP | POR | ARG | ITA | GRC | POL | FIN | AUS | ESP | GBR | Total points |
| 1 | Citroën Total World Rally Team | 18 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 18 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 82 |
| 2 | BP Ford World Rally Team | 8 | 14 | 10 | 8 | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 43 |
| 3 | Stobart M-Sport Ford | 8 | 8 | 6 | 5 | 10 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 37 |
| 4 | Citroën Junior Team | 5 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 13 |
| 5 | Munchi's Ford World Rally Team | 0 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 5 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 12 |