Petter Solberg topped the time charts in the opening super-special stage of the Rally of Sweden, while World Champion Sebastien Loeb was only fourth fastest over the 1.9km course at the Karlstad racecourse.
The Frenchman, just 1.1sec behind 2003 world champion Solberg, has reached another milestone here as he and co-driver Daniel Elena are competing in their 100th rally together.
The Ford Focus duo of Jari-Matti Latvala and Mikko Hirvonen were in second and third-place respectively on a treacherous super-special stage.
But Australia's Chris Atkinson, who was third in Monte-Carlo, came off worst. His Subaru Impreza stalled on the start line and he finished 7.3secs behind his teammate.
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Loeb's Spanish teammate, Dani Sordo, faces a tough examination this weekend after being penalised five minutes for changing the engine in his Citroen after Monte Carlo.Â
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