Hirvonen leading Jordan World Rally Championship

Dead Sea, Jordan: BP-Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team's Mikko Hirvonen won a fascinating duel with Citroen's Daniel Sordo to emerge as the first winner of the Jordan World Rally Championship, while teammate Shaikh Khalid Al Qasimi finished ninth, narrowly missing out on a WRC championship point.

The Finn's win pushed him five points clear of Frenchman Sebastien Loeb to ensure BP-Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team had the lead in both the Drivers' and Team championships.

After Loeb's freak accident on Saturday, the battle for supremacy narrowed down to Sordo, who led at the end of the first two days, and Hirvonen. BP-Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team's Jari-Matti Latvala saw his chances fade after a suspension problem.

While the scorching plus 35 degrees Celsius temperatures brought its sting, it was the surface which made road-cleaning a factor as the front-runners struggled with the initial loose layer of sand and gravel that covered the roads.

But the biggest challenge the contenders faced was the change of format for the final day of a WRC championship.

Moving away from the short Sunday blast that usually ended WRC events in the past, a 134.24km final-day distance meant the spectators got more of the last day's battle of attrition in Jordan.

Adding to the challenge was the gruelling 41.45kms Jordan River Stage - one of the longest, single stages in the entire WRC season - which left the title race open as the Hirvonen and Sordo had to cross this stage twice.

After one trip over the Jordan River Stage, Hirvonen was still in front but said: "I take my hat off to Dani. He did a magnificent job on that long stage."

But unfortunately for Sordo he had a spin early in the final stage and after that Team Abu Dhabi's Hirvonen managed to maintain the pace and seal a terrific win.

Nerve-racking stage

"It's fantastic! And very good news for our title fight," said Hirvonen. "But that last stage was so nerve-racking; I had no split times on Dani and no idea how fast he was going. I'm really happy to win and take the 10 points - it makes up for my result in Argentina.

"Sebastien is still a big threat though. He was very fast here, so we need to find some more speed for the next events.

"I tried my best and pushed as hard as possible today," said Sordo who got eight points for his second place finish, while Aussie Chris Atkinson in a Subaru earned his fourth third-place finish in five rallies this year.

Hirvonen has 35 points to Loeb's 30 in the drivers' championship, while BP-Ford Abu Dhabi, with 56 points, have a six-point lead over Citroen, while Subaru are on 39.

Jordan World Rally Championship: