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Paris - Sebastien Loeb's bid to wrap up his seventh world rally title got off to a bright start on Friday when the Citroen driver established an early overnight lead in the Rally of France.
The Frenchman posted the quickest times in the opening four stages of this 11th leg of the 13 rally season and also bagged the sixth special stage for good measure to open up a 22.7 second lead over Spaniard Dani Sordo and a 25.6 second advantage over Frenchman Sebastien Ogier, both likewise of Citroen.
Jari-Matti Latvala of Finland stood fourth after bagging a pair of stages for himself, to one for Sordo, but the former had 41.8 seconds to make up overnight.
Loeb leads Ogier by 43 points in the race for the 2010 drivers' crown, with Latvala 26 points further adrift.
Loeb is on familiar ground here this weekend as he hails from Haguenau, which is barely a half-hour drive from the race venue in France's north-eastern corner on the German border.
The race was earlier marred by a fatal heart attack suffered by a 77-year-old spectator, organisers announced.
Opening day results from the Rally of France after Friday's eight special stages:
1. Sebastien Loeb (FRA/Citroen C4) 1hr 18min 27.8sec, 2. Dani Sordo (ESP/Citroen C4) at 22.7sec, 3. Sebastien Ogier (FRA/Citroen C4) 25.6, 4. Jari-Matti Latvala (FIN/Ford Focus) 41.8, 5. Petter Solberg (NOR/Citroen C4) 45.8, 6. Mikko Hirvonen (FIN/Ford Focus) 1:50.8, 7. Kimi Raikkonen (FIN/Citroen C4) 3:27.4, 8. Federico Villagra (ARG/Ford Focus) 5:34.6, 9. Matthew Wilson (GBR/Ford Focus) 5:58.1, 10. Ken Block (USA/Ford Focus) 7:01.4
Special stage winners:
Loeb 5 (ES1, ES2, ES3, ES4, ES6), Latvala 2 (ES5, ES8), Sordo 1 (ES7)
The Frenchman posted the quickest times in the opening four stages of this 11th leg of the 13 rally season and also bagged the sixth special stage for good measure to open up a 22.7 second lead over Spaniard Dani Sordo and a 25.6 second advantage over Frenchman Sebastien Ogier, both likewise of Citroen.
Jari-Matti Latvala of Finland stood fourth after bagging a pair of stages for himself, to one for Sordo, but the former had 41.8 seconds to make up overnight.
Loeb leads Ogier by 43 points in the race for the 2010 drivers' crown, with Latvala 26 points further adrift.
Loeb is on familiar ground here this weekend as he hails from Haguenau, which is barely a half-hour drive from the race venue in France's north-eastern corner on the German border.
The race was earlier marred by a fatal heart attack suffered by a 77-year-old spectator, organisers announced.
Opening day results from the Rally of France after Friday's eight special stages:
1. Sebastien Loeb (FRA/Citroen C4) 1hr 18min 27.8sec, 2. Dani Sordo (ESP/Citroen C4) at 22.7sec, 3. Sebastien Ogier (FRA/Citroen C4) 25.6, 4. Jari-Matti Latvala (FIN/Ford Focus) 41.8, 5. Petter Solberg (NOR/Citroen C4) 45.8, 6. Mikko Hirvonen (FIN/Ford Focus) 1:50.8, 7. Kimi Raikkonen (FIN/Citroen C4) 3:27.4, 8. Federico Villagra (ARG/Ford Focus) 5:34.6, 9. Matthew Wilson (GBR/Ford Focus) 5:58.1, 10. Ken Block (USA/Ford Focus) 7:01.4
Special stage winners:
Loeb 5 (ES1, ES2, ES3, ES4, ES6), Latvala 2 (ES5, ES8), Sordo 1 (ES7)
