FROM MONTE CARLO TO SLIGO; LOEB PICKS UP WHERE HE LEFT OFF, WINNING THE WRC OPENER IN IRELAND.(NEWS)(Viewpoint essay)

Byline: ANTHONY PEACOCK

The opening round of the World Rally Championship had a somewhat unfamiliar look to it, but in the end, there was a familiar name at the top.

For the first time in its 30-year history, the WRC season opened somewhere besides Monte Carlo. With the rotation system introduced by the FIA, all of the events now have to share a slot on the calendar. So, instead of the snowy mountains of the Col de Turini, the 36 crews faced the sodden asphalt of Ireland. Numbers were down compared with last year's field, partly as a result of the withdrawal of Subaru and Suzuki and partly because of the global economic crisis.

For all of the talk of reigning series champ Sebastien Loeb and Citroen dominating, the leader board at the end of the opening stage was all about Ford. A clever tire choice for Jari-Matti Latvala on the opening loop of stages let him storm through 17 seconds quicker than anyone else. Loeb, by contrast, languished in seventh, a full 42 seconds slower than Latvala. This was because Loeb chose the wrong tire, making the C4 WRC almost impossible to drive in the standing water. However, on the very next stage, a distraught Latvala aquaplaned and went off, breaking the steering on his Ford Focus WRC.

"I feel so disappointed. I know I've let the team down, he said.

Meanwhile, Estonian Urmo Aava proved that he has what it takes to be a contender this year by leading after the second stage on his debut outing in a Stobart-Ford Focus WRC. Even though Loeb eventually got past him on stage four, Aava remained in contention for the win until the sixth ...