Loeb and Citroën already on the pace

Sébastien Loeb (Citroen C4 WRC), if he confided at the opening of rally that the event would be difficult to manage, showed all his driving qualities on asphalt. From SS1 of the Bulgarian Rally, during the long (31,8 km) Batak Lake special, the Alsatian demonstrated his domination on this surface, on which he has been undefeated since 2005 (except Monte -Carlo 2006, on a surface considered mixed, asphalt and ice). Thus, at the end of the first special, the six-time World Champion pushed back Dani Sordo (Citroën C4 WRC) by 8??6 and Sébastien Ogier (Citroën C4 WRC) of 9??1! And Citroën is not just a hat-trick but a quintuple since Petter Solberg is at 14??5 and Kimi Räikkönen at 17??2.

Fifth, the Finnish rookie confirms his very good disposition on this surface, after having only been able to rub shoulders with it in the WRC during certain super specials, in which he had already distinguished himself. The World Champion of F1 ahead of Mikko Hirvonen (Ford Focus WRC) by eight tenths and Jari-Matti Latvala (Ford Focus WRC) by more than four seconds. In Bulgaria and on asphalt, Citroën therefore seems very well on its way to achieving a good performance.

In the junior ranks, the duel began between the talented Mathieu Arzeno and Thierry Neuville, both at the wheel of a Citroën C2 S1600. The Frenchman, Espoir Echappement 2009, won the first round, beating Neuville by 5??7. Third, Hans Weijs (Citroën C2 S1600) is 7?9 behind Arzeno.