Tänak, who has returned to Hyundai for the 2024 season, was the first to be caught out on a patch of ice 7.7km into St-Léger-les-Mélèzes - La Bâtie-Neuve. He relied on fans to push his Hyundai i20 N Rally1 back onto the road.
The same fans were called into action again just moments later when Toyota’s Katsuta found himself in trouble at the same location. Unfortunately for the Japanese driver, his Yaris was deeper into the ditch and it took around five minutes for him to get going again. Munster, meanwhile, hit the same patch of ice and dropped around one minute.
The drama continued in the WRC2 category with Great Britain’s Chris Ingram and Frenchman Bryan Bouffier among the notable drivers in the WRC’s premier support category to slide wide.
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