Loeb in control while Kimi hits trouble

The second day of Rallye de France began like the first - with overcast skies and stages left damp by overnight rain.

Conditions for the first two tests were extremely tricky, with a mixture of drying tarmac, wetter sections and a coating of slippery mud for those running further down the start order.

Like Friday, the choice of tyres for the conditions was straightforward, with all WRC drivers electing to fit Pirelli PZeros in soft compound and carry just one spare.

First in the start order, rally leader Sebastien Loeb had the cleanest road and made the most of it on SS9, winning the stage by 3.1 seconds from his team-mate Dani Sordo. The rest of the top six times mirrored the overall order so there were no position changes.

Further back Kimi Raikkonen (seventh) dropped time after overshooting a junction, while Ken Block, who started the day 10th, picked up a 1m 40s time penalty for leaving service 10 minutes late when work to repair his Ford’s hydraulic system overran.

Saturday’s second stage, SS10, was delayed by 25 minutes while organisers dealt with the huge crowds of spectators who had flocked to watch the action. Once underway, Loeb and Sordo were the pace-setters once again, with Sordo quickest by seven-tenths through the 15.5km test.

Petter Solberg was third fastest, to move ahead of Jari-Matti Latvala into fourth overall.

Citroen Junior team driver Kimi Raikkonen hit trouble halfway through the stage when he drove off the road and got his C4 WRC stuck in a ditch. The accident happened at low speed and the car is reportedly undamaged so Raikkonen should return on Sunday as a SupeRally entry.

Overall standings after SS10: