Four times world champion Sebastien Loeb grabbed a 19.9 second lead over Finnish rival Mikko Hirvonen at the Rally of Germany before the opening day was cut short by a crash involving Gigi Galli.
The Italian was given medical treatment in his car before being taken to hospital for checks.
The sixth stage then ended abruptly after organisers said too many spectators were near the roadside.

The Frenchman dominated Friday's opening stages, setting the fastest time in his Citroen in the first four sections through the Mosel vineyards.
He was also ahead in the fifth when Galli left the road, forcing organisers to abandon the stage.
Loeb is chasing his seventh successive Rally of Germany title. If he wins again this weekend he will also climb above Hirvonen in the drivers' championship. He refused to get carried away with Friday's performance, however. "Mikko is going very well and I've had to push very hard," he told the World Rally Championship website (www.wrc.com). "This afternoon I've been on the limit all the time and it's been difficult to increase the gap. There are lots of tough new stages tomorrow, so it will be interesting to see what happens."

Loeb's team mate Daniel Sordo completed a good day for Citroen with the Spaniard finishing third overall, 5.7 seconds behind Hirvonen.
Hirvonen's own Stobart team mate Francois Duval was fourth in his Ford, a further 13.1 seconds off the pace.

Galli's crash on SS5

The accident on a flat right-hand corner 11.3 kilometres into SS5, the 23.04 kilometre Grafschaft Veldenz 2 test, when a cut on the inside of the corner bounced his car across the road careering him into trees at high speed.

Luckily the safety roll-cage on his Ford Focus RS WRC07 did its job and prevented further injury in what could have been a horrific accident.
"Organisers and event medical staff did a fantastic job working efficiently to help the Italian out of his car after he became trapped in it for several minutes after the accident," read a statement from the Stobart team. "Officials also cancelled the stage to allow medical crews easier access to the Italian's car."

Galli was subsequently airlifted to the Barmherzige Hospital in Trier and after suffering a fracture to his left femur he will be operated on in the next few hours. "To increase the chances of a speedy recovery Galli will be operated on tonight," added the team. Galli's co-driver Giovanni Bernacchini was also taken to hospital. He was given the all-clear this afternoon and discharged with just cuts and bruises.

ADAC Rallye Deutschland - day one top 15 overall