Mini driver Dani Sordo was quickest on the Karlstad superspecial that opened Rally Sweden, round two of the World Rally Championship, on Thursday evening.
The Spaniard is likely to fall back down the order when the full stages commence in the morning, but tonight he beat top Scandinavian driver Mads Ostberg – making his first appearance of the year in the Adapta Ford – to first place by 0.3sec. M-Sport Ford's Ott Tanak is currently third.
The victory favorites are back in fourth through seventh positions. Petter Solberg (Ford) and Sebastien Loeb (Citroen) set equal times, just ahead of Mikko Hirvonen's Citroen and Jari-Matti Latvala's Ford.
Patrik Sandell got his Mini debut off to a good start in eighth, with Martin Prokop (Czech Ford) ninth and touring car driver Richard Goransson beating a host of rally regulars, including Evgeny Novikov and Henning Solberg in 10th place at the start of his guest appearance in a WRC Mini.
Pos Driver Team/Car Time/Gap
1. Dani Sordo Mini 1m34.2s
2. Mads Ostberg Adapta Ford + 0.3s
3. Ott Tanak M-Sport Ford + 0.6s
4. Sebastien Loeb Citroen + 1.2s
5. Petter Solberg Ford + 1.2s
6. Mikko Hirvonen Citroen + 1.5s
7. Jari-Matti Latvala Ford + 2.2s
8. Patrik Sandell Mini + 3.0s
9. Martin Prokop Czech Ford + 3.1s
10. Richard Goransson Mini + 3.7s