Hayden Paddon and John Kennard once again asserted their dominance in the super special stage of 'Las Palmas de Gran Canaria' with their Hyundai i20 N Rally2. The New Zealanders, defending their title as reigning champions of the FIA European Rally Championship (ERC) this season, replicated last year's performance on the capital stage and became the early leaders of the second event on the continental’s racing calendar.

The duo from Oceania secured a little over a second lead over the following contenders, Andrea Mabellini and Virginia Lenzi. The Italians led a group of four Skoda Fabia RS Rally2 units that finished one after the other. Third place went to the Polish pair Miko Marczyk-Szymon Gospodarczyk, while Erik Cais-Igor Bacigál and Mathieu Franceschi-Andy Malfoy rounded off the top five.

The Hungarians Miklós Csomós and Attila Nagy, who were disqualified from the Qualifying Stage in the afternoon due to a violation regarding the minimum weight of their Skoda Fabia Rally2 Evo, finished the opening special stage in sixth place. ERC champions in 2022, Efrén Llarena and Sara Fernández, piloted their Skoda Fabia RS Rally2 to a seventh place, ahead of the Austrians Simon Wagner and Gerald Winter, also with the latest model from the Czech manufacturer.

The Nordics Mads Ostberg and Patrik Barth, behind the wheel of a Citroën C3 Rally2, secured the ninth best time. Yoann Bonato and Benjamin Boulloud, winners of the last Rally Islas Canarias, finished tenth. The Frenchmen, with another Citroën C3 Rally2, will be the ones to open the road for the six stages scheduled for Saturday. The fastest Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 belonged to Martins Sesks and Renars Francis, who finished eleventh.

The stands of the Gran Canaria Arena, packed with spectators, pulsed with excitement as each vehicle raced through the pavilion. The new course designed for this edition provided even more spectacle for fans, who created a unique atmosphere, one that the drivers noticed from inside their cockpits.

In the ERC3 category, Kerem Kazaz and Hugo Magalhaes took the lead with their Ford Fiesta Rally3. As for the ERC4 and ERC Junior categories, it's a double leadership for Mattia Zanin and Elia de Guio, who pilot a Peugeot 208 Rally4.