SS20: McRae assumes authority

With the lead pair in a class of their own as they both try to kick-start their 2001 championship campaigns, Burns ran McRae close to finish second on the 22.26km Mina Clavero stage, but will struggle to overturn the Scot's lead on the final test of the event.

McRae's Ford team mate Carlos Sainz continued to play out his role as the best-of-the-rest man in third place just over 10 seconds behind the leaders. Tommi Makinen came home fourth to make the top four places a replica of the overall positions.

Francois Delecour in the third Ford Focus put his fly-by-wire throttle problems of the previous stage behind him to set the fifth fastest time, but remains seventh overall.

Freddy Loix rounded out the top six in his Mitsubishi just ahead of the struggling Petter Solberg. The Subaru driver is suffering from power steering problems, but is 1m45s ahead of Loix overall and will likely hold the Belgian off to hold onto his fifth place.

Alister McRae finished eighth on the stage for Hyundai and moves up to ninth overall from 11th.