Mitsubishi's Armindo Araujo leads the FIA Production Car World Rally Championship category following day 2 of the Rally Ireland, the seventh round in the series.

Araujo moved up into P1 in the final test of the day after Mark Higgins went off the road and retired.

Higgins, who came into the event with an outside chance of taking the PWRC title and who had led practically throughout, rolled his Mitsubishi in the second run through Tempo.

Although Mark and co-driver Scott Martin escaped unhurt, they will not be able to re-start under the SupeRally as their car suffered extensive damage. Higgins, who was more than 30 seconds up on Araujo post-SS15, needed to win to remain in contention for the title.

Aaujo now heads Niall McShea's Impreza by 26.4 seconds, while Gabriel Pozzo is third, 20 seconds or so further back.

Pozzo is now the only man between Toshi Arai and his second PWRC title. Pozzo needs to finish at least second this weekend though, to keep his dream alive.

Arai, for the record, is not competing this weekend in Ireland, as he has already taken in his six nominated events.

Further down the order, Nasser Al-Attiyah is fourth, more than two minutes off Pozzo, while Simone Campedelli and Phillip Morrow complete the top six.

Stepan Vojtech and Fumio Nutahara are next up, in seventh and eighth, the latter on course to claim the final PWRC drivers' point, albeit more than 7 minutes off the lead. Colm Murphy and Yassen Popov round out the PWRC top ten.