Rally of Scotland leader Andreas Mikkelsen says he will remain at maximum attack to try and extend his advantage at the front of the field.
Mikkelsen had been embroiled in a battle with Guy Wilks until the Peugeot driver dropped his 207 S2000 on the Errochty stage, leaving Mikkelsen's Skoda UK Motorsport Fabia with a 28.6-second advantage.
"You can't really back off in these cars," said Mikkelsen, "they need to be driven hard to get the best out of them. We'll keep pushing this afternoon - there's still a very long way to go. Okay, we have a gap now, but it's not a very big gap. We will keep the level of attack the same."
The Norwegian admitted he was slightly surprised at Wilks' off.
"It didn't seem such a bad corner, not the most tricky in the world," said Mikkelsen, "but then I think he had a puncture or something which would make it difficult."
Mikkelsen's closest pursuer is now Thierry Neuville. The Belgian Peugeot driver admitted he was slightly surprised at his elevated place on the leaderboard.
"I didn't really expect this," said Neuville. "I'm here for the experience, so to be doing this is really good for me."