Toyota's Elfyn Evans led team-mate Kalle Rovanpera in a Safari Rally Kenya one-two on the first full day of action on Friday, while Derryman Josh McErlean got home in seventh for the M-Sport Ford team.
It was a dramatic, challenging day for McErlean and his co-driver Eoin Treacy in their Ford Puma Rally1.
They had to stop during stage seven after smelling fumes, but after a quick inspection, it was determined that the spare wheel came loose which broke part of the internal body work. The car became filled with dust, but McErlean was soon back on the road, goggles strapped on, and got round in one piece.
Welshman Evans was 7.7 seconds clear of double world champion Rovanpera, despite winning only Thursday's super-special opening stage, and 55.4 ahead of Hyundai's early leader Ott Tanak who suffered a broken driveshaft and lost more than a minute.
Hyundai's reigning champion Thierry Neuville was lying in a distant fourth place and had collected two minutes of time penalties.
Evans had a comparatively quiet time in the eight gravel stages across the Great Rift Valley but Rovanpera was applying pressure and won the closing ninth and 10th stages as well as stage five.
Tanak had built up a lead of more than a minute thanks to four stage wins but lost it all when the driveshaft failure forced him to continue with only rear-wheel drive.
Evans started the rally, third round of the season, with a 28-point lead over teammate Sebastien Ogier, who competes only part-time.
Saturday's leg features six more stages.
