Andreas Mikkelsen holds narrow Corsica lead

Basso, driving an A-Style-run Ford, was quickest on the first of leg one's three stages, before fastest time on SS2 took championship leader Mikkelsen (Skoda UK) from fourth to first.

He heads for the overnight halt 1.8 seconds ahead of Basso, and 2.8s clear of Sordo, who is the first top-line driver to showcase the S2000 Mini in the IRC.

A stage win on SS3 took Pierre Campana's Munaretto Peugeot up to fourth place, 19.3s off the lead, and just ahead of Mathieu Arzeno (Sainteloc Peugeot), with 2011 title contenders Jan Kopecky (Skoda) and Bryan Bouffier (Delta Peugeot) next up. Kopecky had a minor off-road excursion on SS3, while Bouffier rued excessive understeer.

Further back, Hermann Gassner Jr's Red Bull Skoda has been delayed by a puncture, and Craig Breen's Sainteloc Peugeot has been hampered by driveshaft issues.

Leading positions after SS3:

Pos  Driver                 Team/Car            Time/Gap
 1.  Andreas Mikkelsen      Skoda UK            46m20.8s
 2.  Giandomenico Basso     A-Style Ford          + 1.8s
 3.  Dani Sordo             SMG Mini              + 2.8s
 4.  Mathieu Arzeno         Sainteloc Peugeot    + 18.3s
 5.  Jan Kopecky            Skoda                + 19.7s
 6.  Bryan Bouffier         Delta Peugeot        + 23.8s
 7.  Julien Maurin          Ford                 + 26.6s
 8.  Jean-Marc Manzagol     Peugeot            + 1m15.0s
 9.  Sepp Wiegand           Skoda Deutschland  + 1m29.2s
10.  Jean-Dominique Mattei  Skoda              + 1m33.6s