Day 2: Sainz builds commanding lead

The Spaniard looks set to take Citroen's first victory on gravel and second win of the year following Sebastien Loeb's Monte Carlo success. It would also be Sainz's first win since he triumphed for Ford in Argentina last year.

Richard Burns charged up to second overall, but not without a challenge from young Ford sensation Francois Duval. The Belgian was second quickest on SS12 behind his team-mate Markko Martin, although Burns fought back on the day's final stage, increasing the gap between him and Duval by over 20 seconds.

Martin's fastest time on SS12 moved him up to seventh overall, as he continued his recovery from suspension problems yesterday. "If we had another week, we could probably win this rally," he joked.

Colin McRae continues to run in fourth, ahead of Peugeot's Gilles Panizzi. Toni Gardemeister has done an excellent job to hold sixth position for Skoda, while Tommi Makinen rounds out the points scoring spots in eighth after his troubles this morning.

Harri Rovanpera's day went from bad to worse. After leading the rally until damaging his shock absorbers when he hit a rock, the Finn was forced to retire from the event with a broken rear axle.