Reigning World RX champion Petter Solberg initially set the fastest time with a 39.196 second lap in the very first six cars to hit the circuit, with compatriot Andreas Bakkerud second.

Meanwhile, Toomas Heikkinen’s first run was cut short after a single lap when the right-front wheel parted company with his Audi S1.

With all cars having completed their first runs in the hour long session, Volkswagen RX Sweden’s Anton Marklund was fastest with a 39.148. Timerzyanov also set a faster time than Solberg to displace the Norwegian to third.

Nine-time World Rally Champion Sebastien Loeb then moved to the top of the order, with a 38.709 as drivers began their second set of runs, with Solberg, Johan Kristoffersson and championship leader Mattias Ekstrom all moving ahead of Marklund and Timerzyanov, before the Russian driver set another fastest lap, a 38.376 to reclaim the top of the order.

Bakkerud also improved in the second runs to move to second with a 38.512, dropping Loeb to third and Solberg to fourth.

The last six cars to run in the session included Solberg and Timerzyanov, but while home driver Solberg failed to improve, Timerzyanov continued his rejuvenated form from the previous round at Lydden Hill two weeks ago and improved his time to confirm his place at the top of the order with a 38.009.

“In the first run we were just bedding in some brakes on the car, then in the second run I was not pushing so hard myself inside the car, I was just trying to keep the line and to feel the car accelerating out of the corners and it seems that it is working,” said Timerzyanov.

“In the last round, I knew that Petter was with me but I drove my own style and it worked. I think the track was getting faster but I don’t know what the other guys were doing. We were using used tyres too for the whole session, no new tyres at all.”

Bakkerud wound up second with Loeb third and the Peugeot-Hansen driver’s younger team mate Timmy Hansen fourth. Solberg dropped to fifth by the end, ahead of Kristoffersson.

Ken Block had experienced problems in his early run but split the Swedish Volkswagen pair of Kristoffersson and Marklund in seventh.

The EKS team repaired Heikkinen’s Audi and he ended up ninth fastest despite only doing four complete laps, while the Finn’s championship leading team mate Ekstrom ended up 10th, 0.838 seconds off Timerzyanov’s time.