Hirvonen keeps Loeb at bay in Mexico

Finland's Mikko Hirvonen carved out a narrow 0.6sec gap over Citroen teammate and defending world champion Sebastien Loeb after Friday's opening five stages of the Rally of Mexico. Norway's Mads Ostberg, in a Ford Fiesta, was almost 40 seconds off the pace in third with young Belgian Thierry Neuville, in another Citroen, 45 seconds back. Ford's two factory drivers Jari-Matti Latvala and Petter Solberg struggled at the back of the field, virtually a minute and a half off the lead after technical and road problems in their Fiestas. Solberg, the overnight leader, suffered two punctures, while a broken front suspension arm, caused by striking a rock, cost Latvala top spot on stage five and dropped him to eighth overall, one place behind Solberg. But there were no such problems for Hirvonen who impressed on his first outing on a gravel track in his factory Citroen. "The stages are extremely difficult but it's been okay for us with no problems," said Hirvonen. "I'm not planning major changes because I'm very happy with the car."