Citroen's Sordo leads Loeb in Jordan

Spaniard Dani Sordo fended off Citroen team-mate Sebastien Loeb to lead after the first day of Jordan's debut in the world rally championship yesterday.

Sordo led from the start while world champion Loeb, chasing his third straight win tomorrow to increase his overall lead, struggled with his car's handling in the morning stages before coming back strongly in the afternoon.

After the day's eight stages, Sordo led Frenchman Loeb by just 1.1 seconds with Ford's Jari-Matti Latvala in third place and a further 7.4 adrift.

"This morning I was in a bit of trouble, but now the feeling is much better. I tried to push hard, but it was bumpy so I didn't want to make a mistake now," said Loeb.

Finland's Mikko Hirvonen was in fourth place for Ford, 4.9 behind Latvala, with Australian Chris Atkinson fifth in a Subaru.

Atkinson's Norwegian team-mate Petter Solberg retired after stage six, the longest of the day.

The rally is based around the Dead Sea and Jordan Valley, some 50 km from Jordan's capital.

Loeb leads the drivers' standings with 25 points after four rounds, three clear of Hirvonen.