Citroen drivers Sebastien Loeb, Mikko Hirvonen lead way in Rally Italia

Published October 18, 2012 4:26pm EDT | Updated November 20, 2014 6:37pm EST

Citroen drivers Sebastien Loeb and Mikko Hirvonen dominated the opening day of the Rally Italia on Thursday by each winning a stage.

Loeb, who clinched his ninth consecutive world title at the Rally France this month, has a 1.1-second lead on his teammate.

Ford's Petter Solberg finished third, 13.9 seconds off the pace.