Sebastien Loeb leads Rally Argentina after an eventful and wet day which saw a number of retirements due to the tough road conditions.
Ford driver Mikko Hirvonen dominated early on day one, winning three of the first four stages, and was holding a 50.8 second lead when he hit a rock and damage the suspension of his Ford Focus WRC eight kilometres from the end of SS5. Fellow Ford driver, Henning Solberg, was also forced to retire from the day after he also hit a rock, causing suspension damage to his Focus.
Subaru pair Chris Atkinson and Petter Solberg finished the day in second and third positions overall, despite a couple of minor niggles. Atkinson was high on the leader board early in the day until a spin resulted in some lost time, however his consistent driving and the retirement of those ahead of him, saw him finish the day strongly with a win on SS9, the Super Special around Cordoba Stadium.
Solberg, though, had a battle for the second half of the day. He suffered a broken front suspension damper, but managed to maintain his pace and finish the day third.
Gigi Galli was impressive, and again showed why he has been sorely missed in the WRC, finishing the day fourth, followed by Loeb's team mate, Dani Sordo.
It wasn't a great day for WRC newcomers, Suzuki. PG Andersson retired on the first stage of the day, whilst Toni Gardemeister's days ended in a ditch after he hit a rock on SS8.
Rally Argentina continues on Saturday.
Results: Rally Argentina, end Leg 1
1. Loeb
2. Atkinson +1.30.6
3. Solberg +1.38.9
4. Galli +1.47.7
5. Sordo +2.06.9
6. Villagra +4.48.3
7. Wilson +6.18.3
8. Latvala +9.27.5
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