25-year-old surprise Loubet and map reader Vincent Landais made the most of his late start number to win two straight stages in the afternoon – his first in the WC's main class.
- We had problems with the brakes at the beginning of the last stretch and the power steering at the end.
I wanted to get the car to the finish line safely.
But this is cool, fighting with Loeb says Loubet.
He is in a modest 14th place in the summary ahead of this weekend's competition.
Third is the Finn Esapekka Lappi, 8.7 seconds behind.
Superior WC leader Kalle Rovanperä has had a tough time as a "track man" first on the road.
The Finn is in ninth place.
Nor has second in the table Ott Tänak been able to match the drivers in the lead and is sixth.
Tomorrow, the rally continues with six stages.
SVT broadcasts from SS10 and SS13 starting at 10.00 in SVT2/Play.