At the end of an action-packed opening day of Rally Great Britain, Citroen’s Sebastien Loeb returned to parc ferme in Cardiff with a slender lead of 5.3 seconds over his title rival Mikko Hirvonen.
Ford driver Hirvonen had gone into the final event of the season with a one-point lead over Loeb, meaning that the winner in Wales would also seal the WRC title - but, if the two drivers were to finish level on points, the Frenchman would take the crown by virtue of his greater number of rally victories.
However, Hirvonen, looking to take full advantage of the opportunity of a lifetime, failed to make the start wanted in the dank forests of south Wales.
Loeb won all three of Friday morning’s gravel stages to open up an 8.9-second lead over his 29-year-old rival by the midday service halt at the Royal Welsh Showground in Builth Wells, the dramatic scene of the late Colin McRae’s retirement with a blown engine after leading the rally in 1998 with Subaru.
A visibly rattled Hirvonen said at lunchtime: “I’m not driving very well. I need to produce the performance of my life but I think I’m trying too hard instead. I just need to relax and get it together."
The Finn was as good as his word, winning two of the three afternoon stages to move to within 5.3 seconds of Loeb, who added: “I’m going flat-out now and I’m sure Mikko is too. The difference is that if I go off, it’s all over straight away for me.”
Petter Solberg is their closest challenger in Wales. But the four-times Rally Great Britain winner, who was making his debut in a privately-run Citroen C4 WRC, ended the opening day more than half a minute off the pace.
Solberg said: "It’s been a very good day. The conditions were incredibly muddy in the morning but it was drier in the afternoon and I’m learning more with every kilometre. I can’t fight with the guys in front as they are battling for the championship and their brains are outside their helmets."
Dani Sordo was fourth in the other factory Citroen, ahead of Sebastien Ogier and Henning Solberg.
The other factory Ford of Jari-Matti Latvala ended the day in ninth after breaking a front driveshaft 24 kilometres into the opening stage and having to cope with three-wheel drive for the rest of the day.
Subaru driver Mads Ostberg retired from the opening day’s action with suspension damage on SS3.
Rally Great Britain is scheduled to end in Cardiff tomorrow after a total of 16 stages and 348.30 competitive kilometres.
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