Motor Sport :Sebastien Loeb capitalised fully on Marcus Gronholm's error as he seized control of the World Rally Championship title race in Rally Ireland.
Championship leader Gronholm crashed his BP Ford into a wall in stage four, losing consciousness before being admitted to hospital for medical checks, while reigning champion Loeb (Citroen) took the leg one lead, 11.2 seconds ahead of team-mate Dani Sordo.
Gronholm, who will retire at the end of the season, and his co-driver Timo Rautianinen have been released from Sligo hospital but the crash has handed the initiative to the Frenchman, who requires victory in both rounds to claim a fourth successive world title.
Loeb said: "There is a lot of mud everywhere, so I just try to keep a good feeling. If I go too slowly I lose confidence and then I'm not able to drive. So I try to keep a good rhythm."
Gronholm held a four-point lead over Loeb at the top of the drivers' standings going into the race, the penultimate round of this year's championship, with only the Rally of Great Britain to follow.
The crash on the fast section of the Lough Gill stage was a repeat of the last round in Japan as Gronholm retired in leg one, but the Finn earned a reprieve on that occasion when Loeb crashed out on leg two.
However, the Frenchman plans to make amends for that mistake.
"What's important is to keep the car on the road," he added. "For the moment everything is okay. There's a long day tomorrow, to keep the concentration — it's tricky."
It is not yet known if the Finn will resume under the SupeRally format on Saturday, but the crash has severely dented his hopes of bowing out with a third world title.
Ford team principal Malcolm Wilson told World Rally Radio: "I know he'll be totally devastated about what's happened, because that's Marcus.
"They found some very polished tarmac and Marcus didn't get the breaking he expected," added Wilson.
"He's gone into the wall with his side of the car, and it was all his side of the car that took the impact."
Sordo pushed team-mate Loeb hard in the final stages of the day and is happy the Citroens are leading the field.
"The conditions are very bad, but I'm happy," said Sordo. "The two Citroens are in front, so it's perfect."
The team are over a minute clear of the field with Jari-Matti Latvala (Stobart Ford) third and Gronholm's team-mate Mikko Hirvonen fourth.
Henning Solberg (Stobart Ford) hit a tree on stage eight to force his retirement as the drivers struggled with the blind junctions on the stage and mud on the road.