Martin Prokop’s campaign at the Rally Deutschland didn’t go off to a great start after his Ford Fiesta caught fire, and for unknown reasons, on the third Special Stage in the town of Grafschaft, making him unable to continue. Luckily, he escaped unscathed.
Loeb, who won in Germany eight times in his career, kicked off the Rally in dominant fashion and is currently leading, 13.1 seconds ahead of Petter Solberg’s Ford.
Jari-Matti Latvala meanwhile lies in third place, a further 5.7 seconds adrift from Solberg. The Finn regretted his SS1 tyre choice and an excessively soft set-up.