Day 3am: Martin on a charge

The Estonian now holds an eight-second advantage over the Spaniard, breaking the dominance of the works Citroen team. However, third might be the best he can do - he is still 50s behind Colin McRae, and nearly two minutes shy of event leader Sebastien Loeb.

Francois Duval set the second fastest time on the stage, and was only two seconds slower than his team-mate. The Belgian's efforts moved him up one place to seventh overall. Richard Burns clocked the third fastest time on the stage, but remains in a lonely fifth position.

Ford's drivers benefited from an inspired tyre choice, both opting for slicks on the morning's stages. Although they suffered on SS11, which still had snow and ice covering the road in places, SS12 was dry, giving them a huge advantage over rivals who had opted for studded tyres. Ford boss Malcolm Wilson said: "It was a great choice by both drivers. It's fantastic."

McRae set the fastest time on the first of the morning's two stages, which included the world-famous Col Du Turini. However, he only gained three seconds on Loeb, who continues to lead the event by over a minute.

Marcus Gronholm set the third fastest time in his Peugeot 206, and climbed two spots up the standings. Sadly for the Finn, he still only sits in 13th place following his crash yesterday.