Motorsport: Paddon off the pace

Kiwi driver Hayden Paddon is in 19th place after day one of the Rally of Great Britain in Wales.

Paddon is one and a half minutes off the pace being set by reigning world champion Sebastian Loeb.

Loeb and Mikko Hirvonen shared the opening day's honours, with the world rally title protagonists winning one stage apiece.

Citroen's French ace Loeb, bidding for an unprecedented eighth successive world crown, claimed the second stage with his Finnish arch rival's Ford Fiesta taking the day's third and final special.

Loeb, who took an eight-point advantage into the title-decider, finished the day seven-tenths of a second clear of Hirvonen, with Hirvonen's teammate Jari-Matti Latvala, winner of the first stage, 3.1sec back in third place.

The first two stages were run over the Great Orme all-asphalt toll road in North Wales, not used in the event since 1981, with Latvala's third special win coming in the Clocaenog Forest, appearing for the first time on the rally's itinerary since 1996.

Ford driver Hirvonen has vowed to go all out for victory this weekend as he attempts to muscle in on Loeb's title monopoly.

But if Hirvonen does emerge as the winner on Sunday, with Loeb second, then Loeb will take the drivers' crown by a solitary point.

However, with bonus points up for grabs on the Power Stage, the championship could be decided by the outcome of the rally's final test on Sunday afternoon.

AFP/NEWSTALK ZB