Despite the shift to the earlier date, conditions in Wales are still damp and muddy. Sebastien Loeb found himself at an advantage early in Leg 1 running first on the roads, and he had a comfortable 30 second lead over Marcus Gronholm and Petter Solberg. It didn’t take Solberg long to get his bid for a third consecutive Rally GB win underway, and he finished the day taking the final three stages, including two of the rally’s longest. Loeb goes into Leg 2 with a slim 8 second lead over Solberg, and a 16 second lead over Gronholm. Ford’s Markko Martin is the only other driver within shouting distance of the leaders, and he’s currently 35 seconds off the pace.

Loeb will no doubt lay off the throttle tomorrow and avoid any incidents, and this rally should come down to a battle between Gronholm and Solberg. Even a third place finish gives Loeb enough points to maintain a comfortable lead in the standings heading into two tarmac rallies. One other driver to keep an eye on — Subaru’s Mikko Hirvonen. If he can keep Peugeot’s Harri Rovanpera behind him in the standings (Rovanpera is currently 1:45 off Hirvonen’s pace) Subaru will move ahead of Peugeot in the maker’s championship and take a good chunk out of Ford’s second place cushion.

Posted on 17 September 2004