Loeb escapes first stage error

Sebastien Loeb has escaped an error at the first corner of the opening full-length stage of the Rally of Portugal

Matt Beer Apr 3, 2009, 9:35 AM

The world champion - who has won every World Rally Championship round held so far this year - made a mistake under braking 300 metres into SS2 and overshot the corner.

Although the car was undamaged and Loeb had not gone far off the road, he had to stop and wait for the dust to clear before he could continue.

"I reversed and I was in my own dust and I could not find the road," he said.

"So I had to wait for the dust to go down because I knew nearly which way I should be going, but not exactly. I was not on the right road, so I waited."

The incident cost Loeb 24 seconds to the leaders and left him in seventh place.

Ford's Jari-Matti Latvala has taken an early lead, 5s clear of Citroen's Dani Sordo, with former champion Marcus Gronholm running a superb third on his return in a Prodrive Subaru.