Loeb gambles on wet weather for Rally Argentina
Sebastien Loeb has gambled on wet weather for the opening day of Rally Argentina - electing to run at the head of the field after his fastest time on the qualifying stage
The eight-time world champion had no hesitation in deciding to run first - despite that decision forcing him to start tomorrow morning's first stage in darkness. Loeb's main rivals in the rally followed his lead and elected to run right behind the Frenchman.
"I hope this is the best place on the road," said Loeb. "On rallies when it rains it can be muddy further back and if we were going to start 15th on the road [on this event] then we could lose a lot of time in the mud. Sometimes, when the rain comes, the first place is the best one.
"OK, we start the stage tomorrow when it is still the night time, but with our rivals choosing second, third and fourth then I think it will be the same for them."
The only deviation from the qualifying stage times at the front of the field is the reversal of factory Fords, with Petter Solberg running ahead of Dani Sordo.
Running order: 1. Sebastien Loeb 2. Mikko Hirvonen 3. Petter Solberg 4. Dani Sordo 5. Thierry Neuville 6. Mads Ostberg 7. Ott Tanak 8. Evgeny Novikov 9. Nasser Al-Attiyah 10. Martin Prokop 11. Armindo Araujo 12. Daniel Oliverira 13. Paulo Nobre 14. Eliseo Salazar
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