Loeb lucky to keep lead after scare

The Citroen driver managed to open up a 17-second advantage on the first two stages of the day, after opting for a medium compound slick, but was counting his blessings after a 200kph incident.

"I got the tyre choice perfect this morning, " he told autosport.com. "In the second stage we had a moment in a very fast place and hit something with the sump guard.

"It threw us across the road and we went a little bit onto the grass. It was at 200kph so anything could have happened - and it could have been a lot worse."

Despite Loeb's dramas, it already appears that his rivals have little in reserve to respond to the Frenchman's speed.

Second placed teammate Francois Duval is unlikely to want to take the risks required to close down on Loeb, while fourth fastest Marcus Gronholm claimed his morning had been ruined by an incorrect tyre choice.

"We went on the softer slicks and it was the wrong choice," he said. "It was a little bit slippery in the first stage, so it wasn't too bad but in the second one it was dry and we were all over the place."

Petter Solberg, who is currently sixth overall, also got his tyre choice wrong.

"We went for the hardest tyre," he explained. "The first stage was wet and damp and the second stage was not too bad, but the suspension was a little bit too stiff."

The man who got the tyre choice most wrong, however, was Nicolas Bernardi. He opted for intermediates and crashed backwards into a wall on the first stage, slightly damaging his car. Although he was able to continue, the time lost has left him well down the leader-board.