By Gareth Rhys Owen BBC Sport Wales at the GB Rally

Sebastien Loeb (right) celebrates his Rally GB win with co-driver Daniel Elena

Two big questions dominated the build up to Rally GB 2009.

Firstly, was Sebastien Loeb starting to lose his mojo? He began the race a point behind championship leader Mikko Hirvonen, although the Frenchman's victory in the previous leg in Catalonia had ended a run of five rallies without a win for Loeb.

Secondly, would Wales bid farewell to the Rally after 2009? Organisers had threatened to move the event to another location after the Welsh Assembly Government's (WAG) decision to withdraw funding.

By Sunday lunchtime we had a definitive answer to both.

Loeb secured his sixth successive world title with another highly accomplished display in the stages of Port Talbot and Rheola.

It was not without scare. Hirvonnen got within 18 seconds of the Great One but a snapped bonnet pin on the penultimate stage cost the Finn more than a minute and effectively ended his hopes of a first world championship.

Hirvonnen did, however, concede that the rally had been lost on the previous day when Loeb built a 30-second lead.

The Frenchman's reputation as a rally legend has long been established.

But with six consecutive world titles and 54 rally victories to his name Loeb must surely be considered as a true sporting great.

The media scrum that surrounded him after his return to the Rally HQ proved not only his greatness but the enormity of the World Rally Championship.

The word "Wales" had been removed from this year's branding. The event was simply known as "Rally GB" as a consequence of the WAG's decision to withdraw its funding of the event.

But after months of squabbling, WAG and the organisers, International Motor Sports, finally had their Camp David moment late on Saturday.

606: DEBATE Have your say on the Rally GB

So with funding in place, the planning for Britain's leg of the 2010 World Rally Championship can now begin in earnest.

However, there will be plenty of work needed to ensure that a few minor glitches are fixed by then.

It's also worth remembering that a race that goes down to the wire tends to focus the attention on the competitors and not the organisers.

Next year they might not be so fortunate.

*Watch highlights of the Rally GB on BBC TWO Wales on Monday, 2330 GMT

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