Sordo fastest at shakedown

Spaniard Dani Sordo has fired a warning shot across the bows of his Citroen team mate defending world champion Sebastien Loeb with fastest time at this morning’s Rallye Monte Carlo shakedown.

Sordo’s fastest time - 2m25.0s - came on his final run at the 5.03km test in Vernoux en Vivarais. Loeb’s best effort was just half a second slower.

Sordo said: “Yes, it’s a good start. It’s nice, but it’s not so important as the rally tomorrow - that’s when I want to be fastest.”

Loeb acknowledged that Sordo remained the biggest threat to a potential record-breaking fifth Monte win.

“Look what he did here last year,” said the Frenchman. “He was very fast and this year, it will be the same, for sure. Dani will be a threat all of this season, but definitely on asphalt.”

Subaru’s Petter Solberg posted third quickest time in the revised Impreza WRC2007, while returning Belgian Francois Duval was just one tenth off the 2003 world champion.

Fastest shakedown times
1. Sordo 2m 25.0s
2. Loeb 2m 25.5s
3. P.Solberg 2m 26.2s
4. Duval 2m 26.3s
5. Atkinson 2m 27.0s
6. Hirvonen 2m 27.2s
7. Latvala 2m 27.9s
8. Galli 2m 28.2s
9. Wilson 2m 29.3s
10. H.Solberg 2m 30.1s