ear of Ogier’s Fiesta.

Ogier was third until first and second gears broke which, combined with two spins, relegated him to eighth before a late recovery. Craig Breen completed the top six in a Citroën C3.

Drivers face more than 15 hours at the wheel on Saturday when they journey south to mid-Wales. After a 05.30 start, they tackle five stages, the first four of which are repeated in the afternoon. It adds up to 150.24km of action with no opportunity for service during the day.

Leading positions:

1. O Tänak / M Järveoja EST Toyota Yaris 1hr 06min 04.3sec
2. T Neuville / N Gilsoul BEL Hyundai i20 + 28.8sec
3. J-M Latvala / M Anttila FIN Toyota Yaris + 31.3sec
4. E Lappi / J Ferm FIN Toyota Yaris + 35.9sec
5. S Ogier / J Ingrassia FRA Ford Fiesta + 38.2sec
6. C Breen / S Martin IRL Citroën C3 + 48.8sec