Citroen's world champion Sebastien Loeb wins ninth stage in a row

Citroen's world champion Sebastien Loeb chalked up his ninth stage win in a row on Saturday to stretch his lead in the Rally of Spain to a comfortable 23.7 seconds.

The Frenchman, chasing his fourth successive Spanish victory, won all six of Friday's stages and picked up where he left off when the second leg started on the flowing asphalt roads near the eastern coastal city of Tarragona. "It's been a perfect morning again", the five-times world champion told the official wrc.com website at the lunchtime service halt. "The car feels good to drive, the balance is right, so no problems".

Spanish teammate Dani Sordo remained in second place but the local favorite said he had not given up hope of reining in Loeb. "I'm not ready to settle for second place", he said. "It's difficult to go faster on these roads, but I'm happy with the way it's gone so far today".

Belgian Francois Duval was third for Ford, 53.1 seconds off the lead, with Finnish team mate Mikko Hirvonen fourth and a further 8.3 adrift. Loeb has won eight of the season's 11 rallies so far and has 86 points to Hirvonen's 78 with three rounds remaining after Spain. Citroen lead the manufacturers' standings with 141 points to Ford's 121. Three more stages remain on Saturday with six to come on Sunday's final leg.