Marcus Gronholm received the perfect birthday present today when he held off Sebastien Loeb to win the Swedish Rally and extend his lead in the world championship.

World champion Sebastien Loeb was left cursing a 10-second penalty which allowed Marcus Gronholm to take a slender lead into the second day of the Swedish Rally.

SEBASTIEN LOEB is predicting a flat-out scrap with world championship rival Marcus Gronholm in a snowy Swedish Rally this weekend.

Norway has officially applied to host a round of the world rally championship from 2007.

Petter Solberg got his world championship campaign back on track with victory in the Swedish Rally today as his chief rivals hit trouble.

TWO-TIME world champion Marcus Gronholm held off Petter Solberg to claim the lead at the end of the first day of the Swedish Rally.

Marcus Gronholm bounced back from a mediocre start to take the lead of the Swedish Rally on stage three.

IT’S a venture into the unknown for Dubliner George Tracey, who competes in the Swedish Rally, the second round of the World Rally Championship, that begins today.

WITH an air of expectancy, the Pirelli Irish Tarmac Championship season begins tomorrow with the First Choice Flooring Galway International Rally. Several top drivers are involved in some type of change, a factor that adds further intrigue to the first of the eight round series.

Armagh’s Andrew Nesbitt and his Cork co-driver, James O’Brien are gearing up for the Swedish rally, the second round of the World Rally Championship.

FINLAND’S Marcus Gronholm is already looking a strong contender for a third Swedish Rally victory in four years, having mastered the icy conditions with almost nonchalant ease.

AUSTIN McHALE has been forced to withdraw from this weekend’s Swedish Rally, the second round of the World Rally Championship.

Colin McRae’s new team have been warned it will be back to reality on the Swedish Rally this weekend.

Colin McRae set the fastest time on today’s opening stage but it only scratched the surface of his deficit to Swedish Rally leader Marcus Gronholm.

Finland's Harri Rovanpera has maintained the Scandinavian stronghold on the Swedish Rally in Karlstad.