On Day 1 of Wales Rally GB the battle for the FIA Super 2000 World Rally Championship title has been turned on its head after 2 of the main title rivals, P-G Andersson and Hayden Paddon, both hit trouble this morning.

Andersson, who led the title standings by 6 points, lost time with a puncture during stage 2 and completed the run with a broken wheel, which has forced him to retire his PROTON Satria-Neo from Day 1 of the rally.

Paddon, meanwhile, beat Andersson through the first stage to lead the Rally by 4.4 seconds, but lost more than 12 minutes on the next run with an ignition problem. And in a further blow, the New Zealander’s Skoda Fabia had no working second gear. “What does it take to get a break?” exclaimed Paddon, who retired with engine failure on the previous round in Finland.

It’s now Craig Breen who leads the Rally in SWRC class by over 40 Seconds. Saudi driver Yazeed Al-Rajhi hold 2nd. Welshman Tom Cave, who partners Andersson in the factory PROTON Motorsports team, is third.

Source: WRC.com