STOP PRESS: Makinen is out!

The four-time world champion, who lies second in the title race one point behind Colin McRae, hit a rock 10.2kms into the St Gwynno stage. The Mitsubishi Lancer suffered a damaged wishbone which caused the left front wheel to fall off.

Meanwhile, Carlos Sainz's slim hopes of stealing the title have taken a set-back. He has suffered a punture on the same stage and has a broken brake pipe too. He stopped on a road section to change the wheel, but arrived late for SS3. That has cost him 40 seconds of road penalties.

And that is not all. Two other potential frontrunners have been forced into retirement in an incredibly dramatic start to the day. Subaru driver Petter Solberg has suffered terminal fuel feed problems, while Hyundai's Piero Liatti stopped with a broken clutch.

McRae has continued his strong start to the event following his win on last night's Cardifff Super Special stage. He has outpaced title rival Richard Burns on St Gwynno and continues to set the overall pace.

For full times from SS2, click here.

For full rally live timings, click here.

For rally itinerary, click here.

For full entry list, click here.