Intro:

Dani Sordo sets the pace over opening Shakedown test for round 13 - the Rally of Spain - on Friday

Script:

The 2013 World Rally Championship roared into Spain on Friday in the opening Shakedown test.

Sebastien Ogier heads into the weekend as the man to catch in the Championship, with a commanding 95-point advantage over Thierry Neuville - and time to reduce the deficit rapidly diminishing.

The Rally of Spain is the penultimate round of the season - with just the Rally of Wales remaining after this encounter.

It was local favourite Dani Sordo who set the early pace.

The Spanish Citroen DS3 driver set a time of 1 minute and 22.7 seconds in dry and sunny conditions.

That allowed him to finish 0.2 seconds faster than Volkswagen Polo R driver Jari-Matti Latvala.

Latvala's team-mate Sebastien Ogier was third, one-tenth of a second further back.

Sordo scored his maiden WRC win at Rallye Deutschland in August.

Andreas Mikkelsen was fourth quickest in another Volkswagen Polo R, with Ford Fiesta RS driver Evgeny Novikov rounding off the top five.