Australian Rally Champion, Simon Evans, is in 15th, and last, position after Day 1 of Rally Victoria.
Evans went off the road on the second stage of the event and lost almost 20 minutes to the leaders, ending any hopes he had of winning his home ARC round.
"We had a centre diff problem and I was trying hard to ensure we didn't lose too much time," Evans told RallySport Mag after the incident.
"But I pushed a little too hard and went off the road. It's a shame, but that's the way it goes sometimes."
His brother, Eli, lies seventh after an engine misfire slowed him during the day's four stages.
Justin Dowel leads Rally Victoria by less than a second, with local favourite Glenn Raymond in second place, and Mark Pedder third.
Day two includes 11 stages, which are likely to run in wet conditions on Saturday. Â
Rally Victoria – results after Day 1
1. Justin Dowel / Matt Lee, Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX, 32m07.4s
2. Glen Raymond / Matt Raymond, Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X, +0.2s
3. Mark Pedder / Lee Tierney, Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX, +13.1s
4. Steve Shepheard / John McCarthy, Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X, +30.4s
5. Leigh Hynes / Stuart Percival, Subaru Impreza WRX, +32.3s
6. Ryan Smart / Rebecca Smart, Toyota Corolla Sportivo, +34.8s
Photo by Peter Whitten
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