Andreas Mikkelsen has set the pace in Stage 1 of Rally Turkey while Sebastien Ogier and Hayden Paddon sit outside the top 10 after mistakes on the Marmaris streets.
Mikkelsen was the odd man out in choosing medium compound Michelin tyres as the rest opted for hards and the Hyundai driver completed the 2.00km stage in 2:03.9s.
Citroen’s Craig Breen was 2.5s slower in second position.
Third is the winner of the last two World Rally Championship events, Ott Tanak (Toyota Gazoo), and fourth is championship leader Thierry Neuville (Hyundai).
Ogier is 7.5s off the pace in 14th after spinning his M-Sport Ford as a result of an awkward landing and running into barriers.
Paddon (Hyundai) is a further 2.1s back after a messy stage next to the Marmaris marina.
A pair of WRC2 runners in Kajetan Kajetanowicz (Lotos Ford) and class championship leader Jan Kopecky (Skoda) are fifth and sixth respectively.
Friday action begins this afternoon (AEST) with two identical loops of three stages totalling 144.84km.
Rally Turkey: After Special Stage 1 (Top 10)
| Pos | Num | Driver | Nat | Team | Car | Time/Gap | |
| 1 | 4 | Andreas Mikkelsen | NOR | Hyundai | i20 WRC | 2:03.9 | |
| 2 | 11 | Craig Breen | IRL | Citroen | C3 WRC | +2.5 | |
| 3 | 8 | Ott Tanak | EST | Toyota Gazoo | Yaris WRC | +2.8 | |
| 4 | 5 | Thierry Neuville | BEL | Hyundai | i20 WRC | +3.1 | |
| 5 | 36 | Kajetan Kajetanowicz | POL | Lotos | Fiesta R5 | WRC2 | +3.1 |
| 6 | 32 | Jan Kopecky | CZE | Skoda | Fabia R5 | WRC2 | +3.4 |
| 7 | 9 | Esapekka Lappi | FIN | Toyota Gazoo | Yaris WRC | +3.5 | |
| 8 | 10 | Mads Ostberg | NOR | Citroen | C3 WRC | +3.9 | |
| 9 | 7 | Jari-Matti Latvala | FIN | Toyota Gazoo | Yaris WRC | +4.0 | |
| 10 | 2 | Elfyn Evans | GBR | M-Sport Ford | Fiesta WRC | +4.3 |
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