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Finland’s Mikko Hirvonen led the Rally of Poland for Ford on Friday after Citroen’s world champion Sebastien Loeb hit trouble for the third race in a row.
Frenchman Loeb, who had seemed to be cruising towards a sixth successive title when he won the first five rallies of the season, crashed into a hidden tree stump early in the third stage and broke a wheel.
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Hirvonen ended the day’s six stages around the lakes of northern Poland 8.9 seconds ahead of his compatriot and team mate Jari-Matti Latvala.
“I want 10 points from here and after Loeb’s accident I must think about the championship now,” Hirvonen’s team quoted the leader as saying. Guardian.co.uk
Hirvonen won specials two, three and six, with his compatriot Latvala triumphing in SS4, SS5 and SS7.
“The tree trunk was hidden a little bit in the sand, we didn’t see it,” said Loeb, who was also forced out of the Acropolis Rally of Greece after crashing in the event’s seventh special.
Loeb now faces a virtually impossible task to preserve his seven-point lead over Hirvonen in this year’s championship, but he remained bullish about the outcome of the season.
Hirvonen and Latvala, meanwhile, will now target a second consecutive maximum points haul for Ford after their one-two in Greece.
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“Winning could be good but there’s still a long way to go - I still need to finish the rally,” said Hirvonen.
“I still need to be careful tomorrow and make sure I can get to the finish.” AFP
