Reigning British champion Alister McRae crashed out of the Ulster Rally when gearbox problems forced his retirement after only 10 miles of competitive racing yesterday.

The number one seed went into a spin on the first stage of the event and slipped down the order to outside the top 10 before becoming a casualty just south of Portadown.

At the head of the field, Bertie Fisher secured five fastest stage times in his Subaru Impreza 555 and his only challenge came from the Renault MaxiMegane duo of Robbie Head and Alain Orielle.