COFFS HARBOUR, Australia — Andreas Mikkelsen of Norway won the first special stage and was second in the other Thursday to lead Rally Australia after the opening day. Mikkelsen had an overall time of 2 minutes, 45.3 seconds after the two 1.6-kilometer special stages. Kris Meeke of Northern Ireland, who led qualifying earlier in the day, was second in 2:46.2 and Jari-Matti Latvala of Finland was third in 2:46.7. Sebastien Ogier of France, Mikkelsen's Volkswagen Motorsport teammate who leads the World Rally Championship standings by 75 points and could clinch the 2013 title with a win this weekend, won the second stage and sits fourth overall in 2:46.8, 1.5 seconds behind. Mikkelsen, who leads a WRC event for the first time, clipped a barrier with the left-hand front corner of his car on the second loop of the course. Ogier said he looked forward to Friday's first full day on the gravel roads in the forests outside Coffs Harbour. Mikko Hirvonen is fifth overall, with Thierry Neuville, who is closest to Ogier in the standings, sixth.— AP
