Andreas Mikkelsen has taken the lead of Rally Australia after the opening loop of stages in the first day of the final round of the 2016 FIA World Rally Championship. The Norwegian has pushed hard to minimise the effect of running third on the road to win all but one of the morning’s five stages and pull out a 13.7 second advantage as he bids to claim second in the championship standings. Dani Sordo is piloting the lead Hyundai in second with team-mate Hayden Paddon third, the Kiwi driver slipping back having led after the second stage.

Running as the final round of the series this year, Rally Australia is a huge challenge for the early starters, the dry and dusty shire roads awash with thick gravel which is a huge hindrance for those at the front of the field. Mikkelsen, bidding for victory in Volkswagen’s final event, managed to overcome the conditions however and was delighted with his performance over the first five stages. Sordo climbed from fifth in the opener to second by the fourth stage, but the Spaniard is set for a time penalty having arrived late at the start of the stage after an uncharacteristic navigation error by co-driver Marc Marti. Team-mate Paddon is currently a mere five-tenths of a second adrift, the New Zealander opting for a different tyre choice to his rivals. He led after the second stage but lost time in the following tight and twisty stage and then had big problems in the penultimate test of the loop with a series of half spins, unsure what the optimum tyre choice would have been. 

Sébastien Ogier, running first on the road, has risked everything but is fourth and already 20 seconds adrift of the lead as he sweeps the loose gravel for his rivals. He is just one second ahead of Thierry Neuville who has suffered with wheel spin this morning. Mads Østberg has had a good run over the opening stages but has struggled to find a good rhythm in the slippery conditions. He is sixth ahead of team-mate Eric Camilli. Ott Tanak started well, second after the opening stage, but the Estonian lost time later in the morning when confusion with the pace notes saw him spin and lose his bearings in the dust. Lorenzo Bertelli is ninth with Esapekka Lappi 10th overall in his Škoda R5 machinery. The Finn has been in a league of his own in the FIA WRC 2 Championship category and won each of the morning stages. He is nearly 40 seconds ahead of Nicolas Fuchs with Hubert Ptaszek third. Michel Fabre, the only competitor in the FIA WRC 3 Championship, is still running after the first loop of stages.

Jari-Matti Latvala was the first victim of the day, a mistake on his part seeing him down in 25th position. The Finn ran wide in the opening stage and clipped a bridge resulting in damaged suspension. He was able to make some repairs during the road sections, but haemorrhaged time taking it easy to avoid even more problems.