The Citroen C4 driver clinched his third Turkish Rally title by finishing with a 54.5-second lead over Norway's Petter Solberg, also in a Citroen.

Finland's Mikko Hirvonen, driving a Ford Focus RS, was third in the mostly gravel and asphalt event after skidding off the track and damaging a tire.

“The stage was clean: there were some big jumps and I really enjoyed it,” Loeb was quoted as saying on the rally's official Web site. Loeb previously won the Rally of Turkey in 2004 and 2005.

Sebastian Ogier of France, who led after the opening day of the race, dropped to fourth place having blown a tire on the second day. Former Formula One driver Kimi Raikkonen moved up to fifth, his best finish so far.

Spain's Dani Sordo pulled out of the race on Sunday after suffering mechanical problems.

Authorities earlier canceled the two opening stages on Sunday over safety concerns following a night of heavy rain.

The Rally of Turkey is the fourth event of the FIA World Rally Championship.

Turkey returned to the WRC calendar after a year's absence. The event was moved to Istanbul after having previously been staged on the mountainous tracks near the country's Mediterranean coast.

The fifth round will be held in New Zealand next month.