Ericsson fastest, Loeb slowest

Loeb at least year's Race of Champions

(GMM) Sebastien Loeb's hopes of making a one-off F1 debut in Abu Dhabi in three weeks may have taken a step backwards this week.

The French multiple world rally champion, who is eyeing Jaime Alguersuari's Toro Rosso cockpit for the 2009 season finale, tested for the GP2 team David Price Racing at Jerez on Thursday.

After a damp morning he was more than 1.5 seconds slower than the occupant of the team's sister car driven by Michael Herck.

It was drier later in the day, but once again 35-year-old Loeb was off the pace; slowest of the 25 runners, but having closed the gap to 21-year-old Romanian Herck to 8 tenths.

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