TRIER, Germany (AFP) - Sebastien Loeb extended his lead in the Rally of Germany on Saturday while arch rival and championship pacesetter Mirkko Hirvonen lost ground on the world champion.

Loeb, aiming for his seventh straight win in this 10th leg of the 15-rally WRC season, goes into Sunday's final day 40.3sec clear of Spaniard Dani Sordo, who picked up Saturday's final stage.

"It was a perfect day," the Frenchman said after he had added seven of Saturday's eight specials held on non-public roads in the German army's Baumholder training area to the half a dozen he picked up on Friday.

"I haven't managed to make the best time on every occasion, but the last couple of times I have started to ease up on the gas a little, with the next rally in mind," said the Citroen C4 ace.

By winning stage 14 Loeb's team-mate Sordo achieved his mission of holding back Hirvonen who finished the last stage on a bare wheel after suffering a puncture to place fourth overall.

Sordo reflected: "It went better than yesterday and I fel more comfortable in the car."

Hirvonen lags three seconds behind third-placed Belgian Francois Duval who is driving under the gaze of many fans who travelled across the border nearby.