Loeb takes the lead in Sardinia
World Championship leader Sebastien Loeb hit the front of the Rally Sardinia at the end of the first leg after spending much of the day running down the order.
The triple world champion, driving the Citroen C4, moved into the lead after early leaders Jari-Matti Latvala and Marcus Gronholm hit trouble on the afternoon stages.
Latvala’s run came to an end on stage five when he suffered broken suspension, while Gronholm lost time due to a broken damper, allowing Loeb to close to within touching distance of the lead.
Gronholm’s Ford continued to labour on the final stage of the day, allowing Frenchman Loeb to open up a 22.4-second lead heading into tomorrow’s second leg.
Stobart Ford’s Latvala stunned everyone with his pace on the opening stages, moving into a well-earned lead before fellow Finn Gronholm (BP Ford) surged to the head of the pack with victory on stage four.
Nevertheless, Latvala’s unexpected early pace on the loose Sardinian gravel marked the first time that a Stobart Ford had led a round of the World Rally Championship.
Loeb, down in fifth place after three stages, fought back on the next stage, finishing second to Gronholm before taking the fifth stage and the lead.
Mikko Hirvonen ended the day in a familiar position, third behind Loeb and Gronholm after recovering from a disappointing morning that he finished in seventh place.
Henning Solberg keeps the Stobart Ford flag flying heading into day two after finishing today’s stages in fourth place, just 3.2secs behind Hirvonen.
Loeb’s team-mate Dani Sordo bagged fifth place, another to suffer from a slow start but a beneficiary of the problems that beset many of his rivals.
Subaru’s Petter Solberg started briskly but hit problems when difficulties with a brake calliper led to a penalty after he was late to leave the service area.
Poor pace in the afternoon saw the Norwegian former world champion slip further off the pace of the top five, and he ended the day 81 seconds off the leader’s pace.
Solberg’s team-mate Chris Atkinson retired when running seventh after sliding off the track on stage five.
Mitsubishi’s Toni Gardemeister came home in seventh, just ahead of Manfred Stohl’s Kronos Citroen.
Britain’s Matthew Wilson, in ninth place, failed to deliver on the promise shown by the Stobart Ford in the hands of his team-mates, while Ireland’s Gareth MacHale was over a minute further back in 10th.
