Rossetti leads, Magalhães out

Luca Rossetti has moved into the lead of Rali Vinho Madeira by going fastest through stage three, the 21.77-kilometre Terreiros stage.

The Italian, a four-time winner in the Intercontinental Rally Challenge, opted for a hard compound tyre for the first loop of stages. While the choice was not ideal for the damp opening stage, they worked perfectly for the dry second stage, which he won by 6.5s from previous leader Freddy Loix.

But there was high drama on the stage when Bruno Magalhães (pictured) crashed out on a right-hand bend. His Peugeot 207 landed at the foot of a small drop after vaulting a road-side barrier. Although the car was badly damaged, Magalhães and co-driver Carlos Magalhães were uninjured.

Overnight leader Kris Meeke is third after losing time when his Peugeot’s brakes began to fade seven kilometres from the finish of the stage.

Crews are now heading to service north of Funchal.

Overall positions after SS3: