Leg 1: Safety fears after Tommi crash

Although Makinen and co-driver Risto Mannisenmaki were not seriously injured, (click here for separate story) the incident brought back memories of last year's event when Colin McRae spent 45 agonising minutes trapped and injured in his Ford Focus before the event's highly criticised safety teams were able to free the Scot and get him to hospital.

Drivers called for major improvements in event safety, especially in Corsica, where any accident tends to be a major one because of the spine-chilling drops off the edge of the road. But it seems that little has been done to bring this event up to the standards demanded by the crews and the championship. Any serious injuries would not be treatable on the island and the patient would have to endure at least a one-hour flight to Nice before they could receive proper medical treatment.

"We pointed out areas where safety needed to be improved," said McRae to the TV cameras. "There's nothing wrong with this event providing there is sufficient safety support when accidents happen but if the officials don't listen to the competitors and do nothing when we suggest improvements then the event has no place in the calendar."

With Makinen's retirement, McRae has an added incentive to claw his way back from 17th (after hitting a rock on SS2) into the top six to score vital championship points. Currently he is tied at the head of the table with Makinen, but with his favoured events in Australia and Britain to come, McRae could go a long way to easing a path to his second World Drivers Championship. McRae lies 11th tonight with arch rival Richard Burns 14th and both can still count themselves as potential champions this season.

The cancellation of the final stage meant that, Puras lost the chance to extend his lead from the Peugeots of Gilles Panizzi and Didier Auriol. For the moment the event looks unlikely to seriously affect the drivers' title race but with two days to go there is a lot that can still happen.

For the leaderboard at the end of Leg 1, click here.

For full rally live timings, click here.

For rally itinerary, click here.

For full entry list, click here.