Finn Tommi Makinen extended his lead in the Safari Rally today following the retirement of his nearest rival, Carlos Sainz.
Sainz joined the list of retirements on the opening stage of the second leg after the Spaniard's engine failed during the 'Marigat' run.
Ford driver Sainz trailed overnight leader Makinen, at the wheel of a Mitsubishi, by 92 seconds. His exit left Finn Harri Rovanpera in second place more than five minutes down.
Makinen was third quickest on the opening run as third-placed Norwegian Petter Solberg posted the best stage time in his Subaru ahead of Peugeot driver Rovanpera.
But Makinen was almost 30 seconds quicker than Rovanpera on the 'Mbaruk' run, the second stage of the day, as he moved into a five minutes and 49 seconds lead.
Frenchman Francois Delecour was given a one minute and 40 seconds penalty after leaving the service park late following gearbox repairs to his Ford as he dropped to fifth.
The driveshaft on his Focus broke during the opening stage and he struggled throughout the remainder of the run with a puncture also troubling him.
Mitsubishi driver Freddy Loix lost almost 19 minutes on the 'Marigat' stage after experiencing handling problems with his Charisma.
He was also given a 30-second penalty after leaving the service park late following repair work, but then lost a further five minutes on the second run of the day as his problems persisted.
The drivers face a further three challenging stages on the second leg of the rally on Saturday near the Equator north of Nairobi.