Loeb out to continue dominance

Series leader Sebastien Loeb is determined to continue his dominance of the World Rally Championship.

He aims to claim another win on this weekend's Rally d'Italia in Sardinia.

The Frenchman, chasing a sixth straight world title, has won all five rounds of the championship to date this season and holds a commanding 19-point lead over team-mate Dani Sordo in the points standings.

Loeb has an excellent record in Sardinia, having won there in 2005, 2006 and 2008, and he knows another victory would extend to seven the series record he holds for the longest winning streak.

"My desire to win is the same at the start of every rally," he said.

"I hate losing, so I am obviously delighted by the way things are going at the moment. Every win we have scored so far this year has simply added to the flying start we have enjoyed to the 2009 season."

However, the 35-year-old admits he will not be helped by running first on the road on Friday because the narrow gravel stages have a thick coating of sand, making them easier to negotiate for cars running later.

He said: "There are enormous differences in the times of the drivers who are first and second on the road.

"Friday will probably be a bit of a weird day regarding the way the classification goes, but we feel confident we can handle the situation."

Meanwhile, Ford's Mikko Hirvonen is desperate to pick up a good result as he arrives in Sardinia 20 points behind Loeb and looking to prevent his world title dream being all but over at the halfway point of the season.

Ford spent last week testing on the island, with former WRC driver Markko Martin helping them evaluate the performance of the Focus.

Hirvonen hopes that knowledge can help him pick up a good result, although, like his rival, he admits that running order will be vitally important.

He said: "If it's dry then start order will be important."

"The surface will be covered with slippery, loose gravel and the early starters will clean that away to the benefit of those behind. I will be third to start on Friday, which I think will be a very good position."

Another man hoping for a boost is Norway's Petter Solberg, who has done a superb job by scoring points regularly in his privately entered Citroen Xsara, a model that is three years out of date.

Citroen Sport have completely stripped and rebuilt the car with several upgraded parts, and the 2003 world champion hopes the changes can make a difference in Sardinia.

"I am very pleased with the cooperation with Citroen," said Solberg. "And I think this upgrade gives us a more competitive car."