Estonia: Tanak finishes day one of Rally Catalunya in 5th place

TALLINN - Championship leaders Ott Tanak and Martin Jarveoja, racing for Toyota, finished the first day of RallyRACC Catalunya -- Rally de Espana on Friday in fifth place, 21.7 seconds behind the leader. 

Frenchman Sebastien Ogier, Tanak's main rival for the WRC title, was fastest through the opening Gandesa speed test in his Citroen C3 before power steering problems in the second speed test put him out of contest for top spots with a loss of over four minutes to the leader after the first day. 

The leader in Catalonia is former world champion Sebastien Loeb, ahead of Belgian Thierry Neuville, the third man in the title fight, and Spaniard Dani Sordo. All three are driving a Hyundai.

Tanak's teammate Kris Meeke is in fourth place. 

Before Rally Catalunya, the penultimate round of the WRC Rally Championship, Tanak led the championship with 240 points, Ogier was second with 212 and Neuville third with 199 points.