A wet, muddy and drama filled day (isn’t it always in China??),but for Pontus Tidemand the event’s off to a great start with the Swedish driver easily leading the event from Richard Mason and Hitoshi Takayama.

Mike Young’s still in the event, but rolled on the last stage after steering pump issues all day, while Gaurav Gill crashed heavily in Stage 4, requiring a trip to hospital for co-driver Glenn Macneall who suffered a broken collarbone (Our best wishes for a speedy recovery Glenn).

Dinesh Deheragoda retired in the afternoon with diff problems. Tomorrow’s an even longer day with a new 25KM stage that’s even twisty and tight than San Men Yuan (SS3/6).