Gronholm claims narrow Cyprus lead

[Maserati]

NICOSIA, Cyprus -- Ford's Marcus Gronholm leads the Rally of Cyprus on Friday with world champion Sebastien Loeb close behind after a lively first leg.

Setting the stage for a tight duel between the two on Saturday, the Finn ended the opening day a mere 6.4 seconds ahead of the Frenchman.

The Citroen driver, a double world champion, won the day's final three stages to fight back after Gronholm took four of the first five.

Gronholm's team-mate and compatriot Mikko Hirvonen is running third overall, one minute 25 seconds behind.

Loeb can take his third world title in a row this weekend, but the Kronos Racing driver needs to win with Gronholm finishing sixth or lower.

Loeb leads Gronholm by 33 points with four rounds remaining after Cyprus.

"It's very difficult, a lot of loose gravel," said Loeb, who was first on the road. "But it's okay, I didn't lose too much time. I've done my best but Marcus seems to be very fast."

Gronholm, winner in Cyprus in 2002, led from the start in slippery conditions and charged to three stage wins in a row despite dust getting inside the car and causing a problem on the third.

Norwegian Petter Solberg took the fourth stage for struggling Subaru but fell down the rankings to 11th overall after being hit with gear selection problems in stage seven. "I only had a second gear," Solberg said.

Finland's Harri Rovanpera and Austrian team-mate Andreas Aigner, in factory Skodas, withdrew at the end of the opening special.

A team spokesman suggested water had found its way into the engine's electronics. A damage assessment was planned before the team considered whether to restart under the SupeRally ruling on Saturday

[Plex]

Citroen doing really good at the WRC..