Rallying: Loeb and Sordo share honours

Sebastien Loeb, chasing a fourth consecutive world title, maintained his lead over his Citroën team-mate, Dani Sordo, of Spain, in the Monte Carlo Rally yesterday. The Frenchman and Sordo shared the honours in the principality, taking three stages each as the Frenchman ended the day with a 25.2 second cushion.

The Finn Marcus Gronholm, driving a Ford, was third overall, 1min 15.7sec off the pace.

Sordo, however, was realistic about his chances of winning the season-opening race. "My target is the two Fords, not Sebastien," he said. However, the Spaniard can already write off Mikko Hirvonen as the Ford-driving Finn trails by 2min 47.5sec in fifth place overall. Subaru's Chris Atkinson of Australia was fourth, 2:30.3 adrift of Loeb.

In the Dakar Rally, the Spaniard Marc Coma, the defending champion who was leading the motorcycle standings, suffered a head injury after crashing in yesterday's 13th stage.

Coma did not lost consciousness, however, and was able to speak to his team manager before being taken to Dakar for further medical examinations.

Coma, on a KTM, had led the overall motorcycle standings by 52 minutes and had looked unbeatable with just one 225km timed stage remaining in Senegal today before a 16km special around the Lac Rose north-east of Dakar tomorrow.