Race favourite Gaurav Gill has been upset by rising Norwegian star Ole Veiby on day one of the National Capital Rally on Saturday.
The duo battled it out all day at Kowen Forest with Veiby securing an 11-second advantage after eight gruelling stages.
Gill has dominated the FIA Asia-Pacific Rally in recent years, winning every race since 2015, however Veiby has the opportunity to knock the world's fastest Indian off his perch.
The 20-year-old said it was a "perfect day" from start to finish but added the job isn't finished with another big day of racing on Sunday.
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"It's been a great day, I was switching in and out of first place with Gaurav all day and it's great to finish with the lead," Veiby said.
"It was the perfect day for our team but tomorrow is a long day and we've got to make sure we stay focused and make the most of it with another strong performance.
"The roads were good, a little bit rough in some places but otherwise I enjoyed them and we didn't see any kangaroos, I almost hit a couple yesterday so I think they decided to stay in the forest today."
A mechanical problem denied Veiby victory at the opening round in New Zealand last month which he said made Saturday's performance all the more satisfying.
"In New Zealand we had that rally in the palm of our hands, I was leading the rally by over 20 seconds and then we lost our brakes and came second," Veiby said.
"Losing your breaks into a tight corner is not a good feeling but we were quite lucky and only smashed a small bank and the car was okay, but we lost over one minute.
"It was a big disappointment so it is satisfying to come back and get the win today and lead the rally. Especially against such an experienced driver like Gaurav."
Veiby said an overall victory on Sunday would on rank behind a podium finish at the world championships as one of the best of his budding career.
Gill said it had been a great battle on day one with the Asia-Pacific reigning champion not giving up on a ninth consecutive round victory.
"It's been a short day but it has been really good, really fast stages I have loved the stages," Mr Gill said today.
"We have had some small issues with our intercooler having a hole in it, we did lose some power.
"We have been trying to change the set up as well through the day, but tomorrow is another day and we will give it our best shot."
Canberran Harry Bates and co-driver John McCarthy lead the Australian Rally Championship standings after day one with the teams to tackle the Tidbinbilla forest on Sunday.