Sligo, Ireland: Michael Gronholm suffered a crash, teammate Khalid Al Qasimi ended up in a ditch full of water, before regaining composure, and the service park was as slushy as one could imagine.
Chilly winds, murky skies and a consistent drizzle combined to form a lethal concoction, putting drivers, co-drivers and their vehicles to the ultimate test of skill and endurance as Rally Ireland got off to a rather eventful start yesterday.
The Abu Dhabi-backed BP-Ford World Rally Team suffered quite a setback as current drivers' standings leader, Gronholm, suffered a crash during the fourth stage yesterday.
Gronholm, who is in his last season on the WRC circuit, lost two wheels of his Ford Focus after crashing towards the end of the 20.57km Lough Gill in the morning.
The Finn suffered a minor concussion and had to be air-lifted to hospital as a precautionary measure. He was later discharged.
But the BP-Ford engineers were in the process of evaluating the car's damage. If found to be extensive, it could well mark the end of this week's challenge for the BP-Ford driver and may even throw a spanner in the works of the Finn.
After the seventh stage, Dani Sordo of Citroen Total looked headed for an intriguing fight against reigning champion and teammate Sebastien Loeb.
Stark contrast
Sordo won the stage by 1.5 seconds over Loeb to cut down the Frenchman's overall lead to 6.8 seconds, heading into the final group stages. Mikko Hirvonen of the BP-Ford World Rally Team finished third in the stage, cutting his deficit with Jari-Matti Latvala of Stobart to just 0.2 seconds.
Yesterday morning's event was in stark contrast to the sterling show that Gronholm came up with in Thursday evening's Stormont Super Special, stealing a march over arch-rival Loeb by 0.9 seconds. Before the Stormont stage, Gronholm was welcomed by Princess Anne, a member of the British royal family.
"It was great to see so many people alongside the stage. I've heard a lot about the passion for rallying in Ireland. The Country stages were narrow and bumpy with plenty of crests and dips," said Gronholm, before yesterday's mishap.
UAE's Shaikh Khalid Al Qasimi - the BP-Ford World Rally Team's third driver who is on his debut season with WRC - also endured a difficult morning on the slippery roads, often no wider than the car itself.
"The first stage this morning was incredibly slippery. We had quite a few moments, including sliding in to a ditch full of water, which sent mud all over the windscreen - I had to find the wipers quickly! "
