SERVICE FLASH

R1. Keith Cronin (IRL) / Marshall Clarke (GBR) - Citroen DS3 R3T
Not going too badly so far. On Inters for SS1. Swapped to slicks on front for SS2 & 3, which was better, but still not driving at 100%.

R2. Tom Cave (GBR) / Craig Parry (GBR) - Citroen DS3 R3
Disappointed to have a spin one-mile into SS1, which lost us more time than it should as I could not get reverse. Couldn't really get back into it after that.

R3. Mark Donnelly (GBR) / Dai Roberts (GBR) - Renault Clio R3
Happy enough, but the car won't flat shift, so I've got to use the clutch and I've lost my rhythm - especially in Torr Head.

R4. Elfyn Evans (GBR) / Philip Pugh (GBR) - Ford Fiesta R2
There's been a few tricky sections, especially as I was on slick and it's wet in places. (When asked if he was flat out, Elfyn said: 'You better ask Phil'. Phil said yes!).

R5. Alastair Fisher (GBR) / Daniel Barritt (GBR) - Ford Fiesta R2
Everything feels OK, so I'm not sure where I'm losing the time. It's my first rally on tarmac with this car, so getting used to it and will see if we can hold off some of the R3 cars, but it;s going to be hard.

R6. Guy Wilks (GBR) / David Moynihan (IRL) - Renault Twingo R2 Evo
It's good to be back in a rally and doing a job for a manufacturer. Everything's going well so far and I'm pleased that we've been able to gather a lot of information to feed back to the team. Actually it's my first rally in a FWD car since 2006!

R8. Desi Henry (GBR) / Barry McNulty (GBR) - Citroen DS3 R3
Not great to be honest. Wrong tyres. They are too hard, so we'll be changing them at service.

R9. Jonathan Greer (GBR) / Gordon Noble (GBR) - Citroen DS3 R3
It's been good so far, but I think I've lost some time with intermediates on the the car which made it tail happy. Happy enough to be in fourth though.

R10. Osian Pryce (GBR) / Iestyn Williams (GBR) - Citroen DS3 R3
We've had moments on every stage, but I'm really pleased to be in third place. The suspension has been a bit soft and that's caused the wheels to hit the bodywork a bit over the jumps.

R12. Jukka Korhonen (FIN) / Mikael Korhonen (FIN) - Skoda Fabia R2
First stage was OK, but then on the second I was a bit wide after a jump and clipped rock on the side of the road. I was a bit worried that I had done some damage so slowed down a bit, but it was OK. Took it a bit more carefully from then.

R14. Matthew Cathcart (GBR) / James Morgan (GBR) - Ford Fiesta R2
We had a massive fifth gear moment on the first stage. Didn;t do any damage, but it's affected our pace a bit since.

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R16. Callum Black (GBR) / Paul Wakely (GBR) - Citroen DS3 R3T
Probably should have gone out on slicks. Taken a bit too steady perhaps, but I really want to get through today and do all of the stages tomorrow - especially if the weather stays dry.

R17. Jussi Kumpumaki (FIN) / Jani Salo (FIN) - Ford Fiesta R2
Accident SS2. Awaiting details.

R21. Chris Ingram (GBR) / Stephen McAuley - Renault Twingo R2 Evo
Lost time on SS1, as we had a few moments over the bumps. The car is not set up as I would like it and I've lost confidence. I must admit that I'm pleased that I've got someone as experienced with Ulster tarmac as Stephen (McAuley) sat next to me.

R22. Ruary MacLeod (GBR) / Paul Beaton (GBR) - Ford Fiesta R2
About a mile into SS3 I got a front wheel on the grass and it dragged us off the road and the car got beached on a bank. There was no damage, but I had to run about half-a-mile down the road to get some marshals to push us off. I'm pleased we made it out the stage within out maximum time.

R23. Niko-Pekka Nieminen (FIN) / T Suominen (FIN) - Ford Fiesta R2
This is a learning curve, so not so fast. Step-by-step!

R25. Gethin Jones (GBR) / Kevin Devine (GBR) - Ford Fiesta ST
Steady start, so there's more speed to come. Just need to pull my finger out now!

R26. James Grint (GBR) / Craig Drew (GBR) - Citroen DS3 R3
Please to get through the first stages okay. The car's not set up quite right for the bumps over here, so we'll have to look at that in service.

R30. Arron Newby (GBR) / Martyn Taylor (GBR) - Skoda Fabia R2
Getting into driving the Skoda again. The car felt goo, but after the last event, I have to admit that I'm a bit cautious over the jumps.

R33. Alex Parpottas (GBR) / Chris Davies (GBR) - Ford Fiesta R2
Stage one went okay, but I was on Inters, which was not ideal. Swapped two to slicks and them pushed a bit harder and had a clean run through SS3.

R36. Garry Pearson (GBR) / Craig Wallace (GBR) - Renault Twingo R1
Steady as she goes really. Probably a bit too steady to be honest through stage one, but better through the next.

R37. Steve Rokland (NOR) / TBA - Ford Fiesta R1
I really enjoyed the first stage, but the second one was too fast for an R1. Just straight and chicanes. But as this is my first every tarmac rally, it's a very interesting experience.