Loeb keeps Fords at bay on third day

The world champion's advantage was down to just 19 seconds after dropped more time to his pursuers while running first on the dusty surface in today's first stage.

But Loeb felt the road conditions were better in SS14, and he was able to halt the Ford pair's charge and complete the morning with a lead of 23 seconds over Mikko Hirvonen, and 28.5 seconds over Jari-Matti Latvala.

"I was just fully concentrated and flat-out all the time," said the Citroen driver. "I said 'okay, it's like we are not leading anymore, we have to push and go as fast as possible everywhere'. That's what we have done."

Hirvonen had won the first stage of the day, but an error in SS14 cost him three seconds to Loeb.

"I was really pushing hard on the first stage and that continued in this one, but I almost went off in the first kilometre of the stage and hit a massive rock," the Finn said. "I thought I had a puncture, so I didn't want to take any more risks and backed off a little bit."

But the Ford driver, who leads the championship at present, added that he wasn't giving up on victory yet.

"I've got one last chance: three stages to go," he said.

Latvala started the day tied for second place with Hirvonen but couldn't match his teammate's pace this morning. He admitted that memories of the final morning suspension damage that cost him a possible win in Jordan were playing on his mind, and was also impressed with Loeb's performance.

"He was going really well," said Latvala. "I tried to go as fast as I could, but maybe now what happened in Jordan is in my head a little bit. I'm not able to take the risks I should now, and that is costing me because I'm a little bit careful in some places and losing time."

Behind the top three, fourth place is still being hotly contested by Gigi Galli (Stobart Ford) and Dani Sordo (Citroen). The Italian pulled slightly further away in SS13, before Sordo regained a few seconds on him in the next stage. Galli finished the loop 13.2 seconds ahead.

Chris Atkinson continues to run in a solitary sixth position for Subaru, ahead of another tight battle for the final two points-scoring positions. Eighth-placed Urmo Aava (WRT Estonia Citroen) lost a little time to seventh-placed Henning Solberg (Munchi's Ford) after stalling in SS13, then reduced the gap to 11.8 seconds in the following stage.

Per-Gunnar Andersson remains on course for a morale-boosting, trouble-free ninth place finish for Suzuki, with Matthew Wilson (Stobart Ford) now into the top ten and 15 seconds in front of Petter Solberg after another problem for the Subaru driver in today's second stage.

Leading positions after SS14:

Pos  Driver     Car      Time
 1.  Loeb       Citroen  3h27:33.9
 2.  Hirvonen   Ford      +   23.0
 3.  Latvala    Ford      +   28.5
 4.  Galli      Ford      + 1:36.9
 5.  Sordo      Citroen   + 1:50.1
 6.  Atkinson   Subaru    + 4:04.7
 7.  H Solberg  Ford      + 5:26.8
 8.  Aava       Citroen   + 5:38.6
 9.  Andersson  Suzuki    + 6:48.9
10.  Wilson     Ford      + 9:12.7