Gronholm's Ford Focus WRC opened out a slim lead over the new Subaru Impreza of defending Tarmac champions Eugene Donnelly and Paul Kiely.

After the two opening stages near Portumna, the Finn was almost 20 seconds clear, but a couple of spins and an overshoot on the slippery surfaces allowed the Irishmen to narrow the gap to just six seconds after stage five at Pallas. Today sees six more stages before the rally finishes at six o'clock in Eyre Square.