Finland's Jari-Matti Latvala marked his return from injury by recording the fastest time on stage one of the Acropolis Rally in Greece, establishing a 2.8-second lead over world champion Sebastien Loeb.
The Factory Ford driver missed the last World Championship round in Argentina due to a broken collarbone but came out on top in the 25.24km opening special stage to Kineta.
Latvala told wrc.com: "I was very equal with Loeb but at the end I seemed to pull out some time at the hairpins. I felt really fast in places."
Former winner Petter Solberg rued his decision to run soft compound tyres on his Factory Fiesta as he trailed in fifth, behind third-placed Mikko Hirvonen and Mads Ostberg in fourth.
Solberg's tyres lost a lot of grip before the end of the run and he admitted: "It was my decision and I believed in it. I thought it could have been colder, it was just a mistake and I should have listened to the team."
