World champion Sebastien Ogier, in a Volkswagen, almost predictably took charge of the Rally of Germany on the first day on Friday.

The all-conquering Frenchman won all four of the afternoon's special stages to move ahead of VW team-mates Jari-Matti Latvala of Finland and Norway's Andreas Mikkelsen.

With eight specials completed, Ogier was 9.5sec clear of Latvala and 34.9sec on Mikkelsen.

The rally continues on Saturday with a further nine stages and ends on Sunday, with the climax a 14km powerstage.
Source: AFP