Loeb leads after first leg in Sardinia

CAGLIARI, Sardinia (Reuters) - World champion Sebastien Loeb led Italy's rally of Sardinia on Friday after claiming three stage victories in the opening leg.

The Frenchman, criticised by rallying officials recently for his "scruffy looks", held a comfortable 35.7 second advantage over Citroen team mate Dani Sordo of Spain.

Having built up an advantage by winning stages two and three on the gravel roads of the island, Loeb seemed to ease off slightly.

"I'm not being more cautious, yes I'm trying to avoid punctures, but I'm pushing," he told the official World Rally website (www.wrc.com.)

The four-times champion is five points behind Finland's Mikko Hirvonen in the overall standings after five rallies.

Hirvonen will have to improve in Saturday's and Sunday's leg if he is to hang on to his lead. The Ford driver was placed fourth after Friday's exploits, just behind Norway's Petter Solberg.

"I don't know why but I can't go any faster," Hirvonen said after the early stages. "We just can't go quicker. I tried to push but there's no grip whatsoever. It looks bad."

Fellow Finn Jari-Matti Latvala won the first stage but then suffered a puncture and lost the front bumper of his Ford Focus. He recovered to take the sixth stage and finish the day in seventh.

Gigi Galli also picked up a puncture early on but delighted the home crowd with victory in the fourth stage, which helped him end the first leg in sixth place.