At the end of the opening day of competition on the Acropolis Rally of Greece, BP Ford driver Mikko Hirvonen heads the field.

Dani Sordo is just three seconds adrift in second, with Citroën Total team-mate and reigning World Champion Sébastien Loeb third.

The Acropolis Rally has a formidable reputation as one of the roughest events on the calendar.

Rocky gravel roads mean cars must withstand severe punishment, and the searing summer temperatures place high demands on engines, gearboxes and the drivers’ fitness and stamina.

Today’s route took in five stages and 119 competitive kilometres and with only a remote service halt in the middle of the day, those who suffered problems during the morning were likely to be severely hampered all day, if not out of the competition.

Finland’s Jari-Matti Latvala set the pace on the opening stage, the Finn once again benefiting from an advantageous starting position. Never out of the top three in the remaining stages, he led until the final stage when he went off the road and lost over three minutes. He dropped from first to 11th. His mistake pushed Hirvonen into the lead with the Citroëns chasing behind and with better road positions for Saturday.

Behind the leading trio, Petter Solberg holds fourth overall, despite losing time this morning when one of the steering bolts sheared. Brother Henning is fifth with reigning Junior World Rally Champion Sébastien Ogier sixth. The Frenchman set fastest time in SS5 in his Citroën C4 WRC. Citroën Junior team-mate Evgeny Novikov also set a fastest stage time, but then slipped down the order with two punctures this afternoon. Federico Villagra and Khalid Al Qassimi round off the top eight, and the only leading retirement of the day was Matthew Wilson, who went out with oil pressure problems.

Acropolis Rally of Greece - Results after Day 1