Damage forces Hirvonen out

The Finn hit a rock during SS1, and while he was able to complete the morning's stages with some steering damage, his roll cage was also damaged.

The damage meant that Hirvonen had to retire from the event for safety reasons, meaning that Petter Solberg is up to second place.

Hirvonen had been keeping in touch with Marcus Gronholm despite the damage to his car, and his retirement ruins a potential battle for the lead between the teammates.

"It's a big shame because we were running first and second and that would have been a great way to end the season," said Hirvonen. "It was a stupid mistake because there was plenty of room but I just slid wide."

After Ford secured the manufacturers' title last time out in New Zealand, team boss Malcolm Wilson had promised that his drivers would be able to fight each other flat out at the season finale in Wales.

Wilson added: "It's a shame for Mikko because it's the first time we've really let the brakes off and he's been told he can really push.

"The car is still fast as he showed, but at the end of the day it is a safety issue. It's just a shame that a silly mistake has put him out."

Gronholm was disappointed to lose his main opposition for the event, and he said that he is now looking back to Solberg, who is more than 30 seconds adrift.

"It's a shame for Mikko," he said. "It will be a long rally with no fight, but we don't know what Petter is doing, maybe he is pushing like hell and we will have to fight."

If Gronholm wins the rally, he will finish the season just one point adrift of world champion Sebastien Loeb, who has missed the final four rounds of the season.