Champion Loeb Leaves Rivals Trailing In Ireland

`The rain is easing a little but it`s still tricky and there`s lots of water on the road,` the Frenchman said after the 12th stage.

Citroen's five-times world champion Sebastien Loeb was heading for victory in the season-opening Rally Ireland after finishing Saturday's second leg more than a minute clear of the rest.

Loeb, chasing an unprecedented sixth title in a row this season, ended the day one minute 9.1 seconds clear of Spanish team mate Dani Sordo.

With only five stages remaining between him and a 48th career win on Sunday, the Frenchman's position looked unassailable despite the wet conditions.

Loeb, winner in Ireland in 2007 when the Sligo-based cross-border rally last appeared on the championship calendar, won five of Friday's six stages and started Saturday with a run of three more wins in succession.

Finland's Mikko Hirvonen, overall runner-up for Ford last year, was in third place but a further one minute 21.8 seconds behind.

Norway's Henning Solberg, whose former world champion brother Petter lost his seat when Subaru pulled out of the championship last month, was in fourth place for Stobart Ford with Australian Chris Atkinson fifth for the Citroen Junior Team.

Despite his huge lead, it was not all plain sailing for Loeb with the Frenchman running off the slippery road and dropping about 15 seconds in stage 12 to end his run of eight wins in a row.

Sordo failed to take advantage by stalling his car on the same stage, won by Hirvonen, and Loeb then went fastest in the next two stages.

"The rain is easing a little but it's still tricky and there's lots of water on the road," the Frenchman said after the 12th stage.

Rally of Ireland second leg CLASSIFICATION on Saturday
  1. Sebastien Loeb (France)          Citroen 2h 20m 02.800 secs
  2. Daniel Sordo (Spain)                    Citroen +01:09.100
  3. Mikko Hirvonen (Finland)                 Ford    02:30.900
  4. Henning Solberg (Norway)                 Ford    05:57.400
  5. Chris Atkinson (Australia)               Citroen 06:02.100
  6. Sebastien Ogier (France)                 Citroen 09:13.400
  7. Matthew Wilson (Britain)                 Ford    09:51.300
  8. Khalid Al Qassimi (United Arab Emirates) Ford    11:50.000
  9. Eamonn Boland (Ireland)                  Subaru  12:40.400
10. Aaron MacHale (Ireland)                  Ford    13:40.400
(rank: r = retired, nc = not classified)