World RX France: Kristoffersson scores pole and extends points lead

In wet conditions, it was reigning title-holder Mattias Ekstrom who was fastest in Q3, the Swede winning his race as Kristoffersson's team mate Petter Solberg stalled on the start line of their encounter.

Andreas Bakkerud had won the final race of Q3, but was penalised five seconds for contact and dropped to eighth, elevating Kristoffersson to third which put the PSRX Volkswagen Sweden driver into top spot overall, ahead of day one leader Sebastien Loeb.

In the final qualifying race of the day in Q4, with conditions significantly worse than they had been in Q3, Kristoffersson and Loeb ran neck-and-neck to the first corner.

Kristoffersson kept ahead of the race throughout to cement his name at the top of the standings.

Utilising the increased pace displayed on day one from Peugeot-Hansen's 208 WRX, Timmy Hansen was second in Q3 and third in Q4, as Loeb was fourth and second respectively to remain second in the Intermediate Classification at his home event.

Following his stall in Q3, Solberg lost time behind an impressive performance from 2016 European champion Kevin Hansen and was eighth.

He again lost out to Hansen at the start of their Q3 race before taking an earlier joker lap to leapfrog the Swede.

Solberg salvaged fifth in the Intermediate Classification from a difficult set of qualifying races for the double champion.

Driving the 2016 version of Peugeot's 208, Hansen qualified eighth, behind Hoonigan Racing Division colleagues Bakkerud and Ken Block.

Kevin Eriksson's hopes of maintaining a run of making the finals in the privately run MJP Racing Team Austria Ford Fiesta were ended by getting spun off in Q3, following contact from Timur Timerzyanov and Reinis Nitiss.

He then lost more time in Q4 with a half spin that resulted in him getting collected by Timerzyanov.

Eriksson's team-mate and double DTM champion, Timo Scheider did make it into the semi-finals in ninth.

Nico Muller, was spun from behind at the exit of the first corner in Q3 on his debut and spun again in Q4, despite an impressive performance through the weekend.