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Estering World Rallycross: Petter Solberg leads opening day

World Rallycross Championship leader Petter Solberg holds the overnight top spot at the Estering in Germany, despite not being fastest in either heat

Robin Larsson, a podium finisher at the AUTOSPORT World RX of Great Britain in May, led heat one ahead of the Solberg brothers, Henning beating Petter by 0.8 seconds after losing time on his last-lap joker.

In heat two Larsson could only manage the 25th-fastest time, and is now ninth overall.

Fourth place for Timur Timerzyanov in heat two was backed up by second to Mattias Ekstrom in heat two, so the reigning European champion lies second overnight.

DTM star Ekstrom is third, the Swede making his first start in the series since winning his home event in July.

Biggest casualties of day one were regular frontrunners Anton Marklund and Andreas Bakkerud, both slowed by contact at the first corner (pictured below).

While Bakkerud spun through 360 degrees in front of the pack with broken suspension, Marklund suffered bent steering.

Marklund fought back with fourth place in heat two, while Bakkerud set the 12th-fastest time.

EKS RX regular Pontus Tidemand is 12th overall and would be higher up had he not jumped the start in heat one, incurring the double-joker penalty as a result.

Surprise of the day was 2009 Swedish Touring Car champion and 1990s British Touring Car Championship driver Tommy Rustad, who put a difficult run of events behind him to be seventh and fifth in the first two heats, putting him fourth overall.

Solberg's closest title rivals Toomas Heikkinen and Reinis Nitiss lie sixth and 10th respectively, currently inside the qualification positions for the semi-finals.

Double Junior World Rally champion P-G Andersson showed good pace on his return to international competition.

Second fastest in free practice behind Ekstrom, Andersson spun at the first corner of heat one and did well to recover to 14th at the end of day one.

World Touring Car Championship driver Rene Munnich is only 40th of the 41 Supercar entrants as his new Audi A3 Supercar retired from both heat races.

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