Rally Spain (21– 24 October 2010) – Day 1
When Sébastien Loeb and Daniel Elena started Rally Spain, they were not there just to make upthe numbers. Despite the fact that they were first out on the Catalonian gravel the 7-time WorldChampions* finished the opening day in the lead with a small margin over Sébastien Ogier andJulien Ingrassia. The second Citroën Total World Rally Team’s C4 WRC is currently lying sixth inthe hands of Spanish pair, Dani Sordo and Diego Vallejo.
Before the start of the rally, Sébastien Loeb said that he wasn’t really looking forward to the first loopmainly on gravel : “There’s going to be a thick layer of dust to sweep off and our position as first out onthe road will be a big disadvantage. I expect to lose quite a few seconds.”
At the finish of the 36-km Terra Alta stage, the no. 1 C4 WRC set the quickest time: “The special wasrun in thick fog and the gravel roads were damp because of the wet atmosphere. It was a nice surprise asour handicap was almost transformed into an advantage! Unlike previous rallies in which I had to finish toscore points in the championship, I really went for it. I pushed as hard as I could and I think that’s whatmade the difference in the poor visibility conditions.”
In SS3, Loeb set another fastest time and finished the first loop of three stages with a 12-second leadover his nearest pursuer. Dani Sordo who many considered as favourite for this rally, was back in sixthplace already 25s behind his team-mate: “Of course, I can’t be happy with this start to the race. Neitherthe conditions not the setup can explain the gap.”
Loeb was less at home second time through the stages, and Sébastien Ogier got to within 2.1s of theleading C4 WRC after SS5. The Citroën Total World Rally Team lead driver fought back in the last stageof the day, and held on to his first place by a margin of 3.8s. “Overall, it’s been very positive today as wethought we’d lose a lot of time on the gravel,” smiled Seb when he arrived back in the Salou servicepark. “The gaps closed up during the afternoon, but we managed to hang on to the lead. We can tacklethe second leg in a relaxed frame of mind. On asphalt the road conditions are very similar for the firstthree or four, but it’s better to be first. Despite the fact that there’s not a whole lot at stake in this rally,I’m determined to fight for victory. It’s a lot easier to drive when you don’t have to keep saying to yourselfthat the slightest mistake could have serious consequences for the championship!”
Dani Sordo was still sixth at the end of the day, and he preferred to look ahead to the second leg: “Ireally can’t say what didn’t work today. In any case it didn’t turn out as I’d dreamed it would. I didn’t feelat home in the C4 WRC, which kept breaking away at the rear. The mechanics are going to change justabout everything this evening. We’ll see what happens tomorrow. I hope I’ll be able to catch MikkoHirvonen.”
During the 75-minute service halt, the Citroën Total World mechanics put the cars in asphalt setup. Thegearbox, suspension, brakes and protections were all changed so that the C4 WRCS will be ready todevour the Catalonian asphalt tomorrow!
*Subject to the publication of the official results by the FIA.
THE RALLY IN FIGURESSébastien Loeb / Daniel Elena Dani Sordo / Diego VallejoSS1: Terra Alta 1 (35,94 km) 1st 1st 5th +15.3s 5th +15.3sSS2: La Ribera d’Ebre 1 (14,97 km) 3rd +2.0s 1st 2nd +1.3s 4the +14.6sSS3: LSS GarriguSS 1 (17,28 km) 1st 1st 6th +10.6s 6th +25.2sSS4: Terra Alta 2 (35,94 km) 4th +8.5s 1st 6th +21.5s 6th +38.2sSS5: La Ribera d’Ebre 2 (14,97 km) 3rd +1.4s 1st 6th +9.1s 6th +45.9sSS6: LSS GarriguSS 2 (17,28 km) 1st 1st 6th +8.8s 6th +54.7s
Fastest times in the stagesDay 1 – SS1: Sébastien Loeb (Citroën C4) – SS2: Petter Solberg (Citroën C4) – SS3: Loeb – SS4:Sébastien Ogier (Citroën C4) – SS5: Solberg – SS6: Loeb.Best performers: Loeb, 3 fastest times – Solberg, 2 – Ogier, 1.Leaders: SS1 to 6: Loeb.
Classification at the end of the first day1. Loeb / Elena Citroën C4 1h25m26.8s2. Ogier / Ingrassia Citroën C4 +3.8s3. Latvala / Anttila Ford Focus +19.9s4. P. Solberg / Patterson Citroën C4 +22.4s5. Hirvonen / Lehtinen Ford Focus +42.4s6. Sordo / Vallejo Citroën C4 +54.7s7. Wilson / Martin Ford Focus +2m46.9s8. Villagra / Curletto Ford Focus +3m21.2s9. Block / Gelsomino Ford Focus +3m42.8s10. H. Solberg / Prevot Ford Fiesta +4m21.6s.
