SS11, Oliveira do Hospital: Makinen back at the top

The Mitsubishi star, who won the Monte Carlo season opener, completed the 24.78km stage 1.5secs quicker than Sainz. In turn, the Spaniard was 8.2secs faster through the stage than third placed Harri Rovanpera in a Peugeot.

Subaru's Richard Burns took 26secs out of reigning world champion Marcus Gronholm, and a similar result on SS12, Arganil, will see him level pegging with the Peugeot star for fourth.

Further down the order, the battle between the Hyundais of Kenneth Eriksson and Alister McRae is going the way of the Scot after the Swede lost over a minute to him on the last stage as his windscreen wipers have failed. McRae is now ninth overall, while Eriksson will have to wait until service to have them fixed.

The weather in Portugal remains foul, with heavy rain forecast throughout the day.


Tommi Makinen Mitsubishi,, 18m14.3s
Carlos Sainz,Ford, 18m15.8s
Harri Rovanpera, Peugeot, 18m24.0s
Richard Burns, Subaru, 18m25.1s
Freddy Loix, Mitsubishi, 18m42.9s
Marcos Gronholm, Peugeot, 18m51.2s


Tommi Makinen, Mitsubishi, 1h45m49.1s
Carlos Sainz, Ford, +18.9s
Harri Rovanpera, Peugeot, +36.0s
Marcus Gronholm, Peugeot, +1m55.7s
Richard Burns, Subaru, +2m23.3s
Freddy Loix, Mitsubishi, +3m35.0s
Francois Delecour, Ford, +4m35.9ss
Markko Martin, Subaru, +6m03.0s
Alister McRae, Hyundai, +7m15.1s
Kenneth Eriksson, Hyundai, +7m45.0s