Sebastien Loeb claimed his record-breaking fifth Race of Champions crown, defeating Chaz Mostert in a thrilling 2-0 final at Sydney's Accor Stadium.

The nine-time World Rally champion edged Mostert by just 0.27s in the first heat using Polaris RZR side-by-sides, followed by an even tighter 0.16s victory in FC2 rallycross cars.

Loeb's path to victory included:

• Automatic Group stage bye as top-seeded off-road driver
• 2-0 quarter-final win against Molly Taylor
• 2-0 semi-final victory over Oliver Solberg

Mostert's route to the final featured:

• Group stage wins against Valtteri Bottas and Kurt Busch
• Quarter-final triumph over Sebastian Vettel
• Semi-final victory against fellow Australian Will Brown

Notable performances came from Toby Price, who eliminated Petter Solberg and Hayden Paddon, while Will Brown upset both David Coulthard and Victor Martins.

Loeb made history twice, becoming both the most successful Race of Champions competitor with five titles (surpassing Mattias Ekstrom and Didier Auriol) and the first driver to win both the Nations Cup and Champion of Champions at the same event.

"To win the fifth RoC Champion of Champions is great for me," said Loeb. "It is special to become the first driver to win both the RoC Nations Cup and the Champion of Champions at the same event. After winning the Nations Cup, I could relax and enjoy myself even more."

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