Solberg fastest on SS 10, Hirvonen holds on to 2nd

Fantastic fight between leading four crews ended up with Jari-Matti Latvala on top of the overnight classification with 16.8 seconds advantage over Mikko Hirvonen. But it was Petter Solberg’s charge in finishing part of Day 1 in Sweden that brought excitement to the podium battle. Norwegian driver scored another stage victory on superspecial stage and managed to further reduce the gap behind Hirvonen to only 1.8 seconds. To top it off, young Norwegian ace Mads Ostberg enjoyed trouble-free day and produced some superb results and is currently in contention for place on the podium, 13.7 seconds behind Solberg.

Sebastien Loeb ended eventful day 1 as second fastest on SS 10 and seventh in overall standings. Henning Solberg is in front of him with 20 seconds lead and this is another fight we might be witnessing tomorrow.

Tomorrow starting order for top seeded crews will be determined by reversing the results of 1st leg of the rally.

In SWRC Per Gunnar Andersson is still safely in the lead and with over 2 minutes looks set for a more relaxed day 2. Craig Breen is second and Pontus Tidemand third.