In pictures: Wales Rally GB roars into the night
- Published
Crowds watch the ceremonial start of the Wales Rally GB in front of Conwy Castle, with drivers being flagged away by Sports Minister John Griffiths.
"It's never easy to start the rally in the night, especially in the tricky and slippery conditions," said newly crowned World Rally Champion Sebastien Ogier. The Frenchman was victorious on two of Thursday evening's three stages and leads overall.
Former Formula 1 driver Robert Kubica makes his debut in top-level World Championship rally at the Wales Rally GB, finishing the first day in seventh place.
Racing at night is a new experience for the Pole who finished the first stages without incident. "It's going okay," said Kubica, "Everything is new for us. I have no experience of these conditions, at least in the day I will be able to see!"
Elfyn Evans, from Dolgellau, Gwynedd, leads the WRC2 section in his M-Sport Ford Fiesta R5. The son of Welsh rallying hero Gwyndaf Evans, he is also inside the overall top 10 as he targets a maiden class victory on home soil.
Frenchman Thierry Neuville won the Clocaenog stage on Thursday, setting up a three-way battle at the top of the leader board between him, compatriot Sebastien Ogier and Jari-Matti Latvala in third place.
The final event of the World Rally Championship season has moved from its previous base in Cardiff to Flintshire, where 160 high-performance cars and their drivers will be stretched to the limits by the forests of Snowdonia, Denbighshire and mid Wales.
Finland's Jari-Matti Latvala fires off into the damp and dark conditions in the pitch black Welsh forests. "It's not easy," he said, "in the places where it's wet and muddy I don't quite have the confidence yet." The VW driver is targeting a hat-trick of Wales Rally GB wins.