Rallye de France: Latest news before SS5

Title wide open after dramatic start in France

The dramatic events on the third stage of Rallye de France Alsace this morning could have a huge bearing on the race for this year’s world title.

With championship leader Sebastien Loeb retiring with suspected engine failure and an on off-road moment delaying Mikko Hirvonen - who began the event 15 points behind Loeb in the standings - Sebastien Ogier is set to capitalise, providing he can maintain his overall lead.

Ogier had conceded that his title hopes were over following his non-score on the previous round in Australia. But if he wins he would close to within four points of Loeb and could even cut the seven-time champion’s advantage to one point providing he claims the three bonus points on offer for winning Sunday’s Power Stage in his Citroen DS3 WRC.

Hirvonen, meanwhile, is on course for eight points for finishing sixth in his Ford Fiesta RS WRC. The result would put him on 189 points, seven less than Loeb’s current total.

Before the start Loeb said he would relish the opportunity to engage in a close title fight on the remaining two rounds in Spain and Great Britain.

He told WRC.com: “It’s more comfortable when you have a bigger lead but it’s more exciting when you are fighting like this. I enjoy the fight.”

Hirvonen lost out by one point to Loeb in the battle for the drivers’ crown in 2009. “The season is coming to an end so have to take more risks in places, you can’t play safe and take the points,” said Hirvonen. “If we are able to fight then we definitely have to go for it.”

Freak crash puts Kimi out

Kimi Raikkonen’s co-driver Kaj Lindstrom has described the moment when they retired from Rallye de France Alsace following a bizarre incident on the road section heading to the third stage of the event.

The Finns were in ninth overall after two stages in their ICE 1 Racing Citroen DS3 WRC when disaster struck on the liaison section prior to the 36-kilometre Pays d’Ormont test south west of the service park in Strasbourg this morning.

Lindstrom told Wrc.com: "As usual we parked 2.5 kilometres before the stage start to put on our helmets and get strapped in before warming our tyres on the way to the control. On this occasion Henning [Solberg] went in front of us - even though he was behind us in the start order. He was snaking down the road to put some heat in the tyres and the brakes, and we were doing the same behind. But at some point we had to overtake so soon we caught up. Henning pulled into his lane, and we went to pass but suddenly he braked hard and we drove into the back of his car - his left-hand rear corner with our right-hand front. The impact broke one of our front suspension uprights. But this is what happens sometimes - no one is to blame. I explained this to Henning afterwards."

Speaking to World Rally Radio, Solberg said: “He hit me on the left side, I saw his car in the air and then he disappeared into a ditch. He said it was not my fault and just to drive on.”

It’s currently not clear if Raikkonen, the 2007 Formula One world champion, and Lindstrom will be able to restart on day two. “We are at the hotel now while the team look at the car. I can’t say whether we will be able to restart tomorrow,” said Lindstrom.

Sordo not getting carried away in France

Dani Sordo accepts that it’s too early to be targeting his second podium finish for the MINI WRC Team after completing Friday’s opening loop of four stages in third position in his John Cooper Works WRC.

The Spaniard, who was second on Rallye de France Alsace last season, is 6.6s adrift of leader Sebastien Ogier having set a trio of top-three stage times alongside co-driver Carlos del Barrio on the world championship qualifier.

“It was a really great morning,” said Sordo. “We haven’t had any problems and the car has run really well, but we have an awful long way to go on the rally. The feeling in the car is really good now we have covered more kilometres in it. After the podium in Germany everyone is motivated.”

Team-mate Kris Meeke, who is competing on the Strasbourg-based event for the first time, is a strong fourth overall 28 seconds behind Ogier.

“I have to say this morning has been bloody tricky,” said the Northern Irishman. “I am running 15th on the road and some of these poles [to prevent corner cutting] are sticking out at an angle so for me it has been a difficult morning trying to keep my nose clean. I am trying to learn the roads as well so considering all that to be here in fourth place is pretty good. However, a lot is still going to happen in this rally.”

End of the road for Loeb in France?

Sebastien Loeb fears he will be unable to take any further part on Rallye de France Alsace after an engine problem forced his retirement from his home round of the world championship this morning.

Loeb was leading the asphalt event in his Citroen DS3 WRC when the fault occurred approximately 26 kilometres into the 36-kilometre Pays d’Ormont test.

He told WRC Television: “We broke the engine. We had an alarm, oil pressure, in the road. So we called on the radio to ask what we could do. We cut the boost, then the engine felt like it had no power, then it started to make some noise. If it’s a failure there will be no SupeRally.”

Asked if the engine had definitely failed, Loeb said: “That’s what we think at the moment. I don’t know exactly what the damage on the engine [is] but for sure I cannot continue because I will break it completely. So we just can hope that it’s not completely broken and that it’s just something like a sensor or we lost the oil. We just can hope it’s nothing bad but I don’t believe so much that we will start again tomorrow.”

Loeb started the event with a 15-point lead over Ford driver Mikko Hirvonen. If he doesn’t restart and team-mate Sebastien Ogier maintains his overall lead and wins the rally-closing Power Stage, then Loeb’s advantage at the top of the standings could be slashed to one point with two rounds remaining.

The last time Loeb failed to finish a round of the WRC was in June 2009 when he crashed out of the Acropolis Rally. He hasn’t lost a world title battle since 2003.