Ford’s Marcus Grönholm takes the overnight lead in Rally d’Italia Sardegna, the seventh round of the FIA World Rally Championship. The Finn set a blistering pace in the Focus during the morning’s three stages, winning each to pull out a 40 second advantage over fellow countryman and team-mate Mikko Hirvonen. However, during the same stages this afternoon, reigning FIA World Rally Champion and series leader Sébastien Loeb mounted a serious challenge. The Citroën Xsara driver took victory in all but one of the stages, climbing from third to second by the end of the opening leg.

Grönholm nevertheless maintains a healthy 35.4 second advantage over the Frenchman, but must sustain the pace and avoid problems over the island’s rough gravel roads if he is to put an end to Loeb’s run of victories and maintain his own hopes of clinching this year’s world title.

Hirvonen now holds third position, the Finn nearly 30 seconds adrift of Loeb but with a useful 40 second advantage over fourth-placed Peugeot 307 WRC driver Henning Solberg. Reigning FIA Junior World Rally Champion Daniel Sordo, now competing in a Citroën Xsara World Rally Car, has climbed into fifth with local hero Gigi Galli just seconds adrift in sixth. Bad luck continues to follow Petter Solberg however. The Subaru Impreza driver ran as high as fourth before being forced to withdraw from the leg after a string of punctures in this afternoon’s three stages.

Rally d’Italia Sardegna – Results after Leg 1
 

1. Marcus Grönholm/Timo Rautiainen		Ford Focus RS WRC	1 hr 33 min 39.9sec
2. Sébastien Loeb/Daniel Elena		Citroën Xsara WRC	1 hr 34 min 15.3sec
3. Mikko Hirvonen/Jarmo Lehtinen		Ford Focus RS WRC	1 hr 34 min 44.1sec
4. Henning Solberg/Cato Menkerud		Peugeot 307 WRC	1 hr 35 min 24.4sec
5. Daniel Sordo/Marc Marti		Citroën Xsara WRC	1 hr 35 min 44.2sec
6. Gigi Galli/Giovanni Bernacchini		Peugeot 307 WRC	1 hr 35 min 46.7sec

 
Note to Editors: Attached image of rally leader Marcus Grönholm is copyright free for editorial use. Please click here.