SS5: Olé! Sainz hits the front

Sainz's Focus was third quickest on the 20.28km Torntorp test, crucially 4.7 seconds quicker than Radstrom's Mitsubishi Lancer to wrest the lead by just 1.5secs.

His team mate Colin McRae set a searing pace through the stage, 6.2secs quicker than Subaru's Richard Burns. Unfortunately, neither figures in the top ten as McRae is 3m11.3s behind Sainz, and Burns is 6m42.7s in arrears after their earlier close encounters with snowbanks.

Peugeot's Harri Rovanpera is still in touch in third, and is just 4.9secs off the leading pace. Monte winner Tommi Makinen (Mitsubishi) is fourth but in danger of losing his place to the inspired Hyundai of Kenneth Eriksson, who is just 0.3secs behind, and they set equal times on SS5 to show how closely matched they are.

Didier Auriol and Francois Delecour, sixth and seventh overall, also set matching times for equal fourth on the stage.


Colin McRae (GB)/Nicky Grist(GB), Ford Focus RS WRC*, 10m30.0s
Richard Burns (GB)/Robert Reid(GB), Subaru Impreza WRC*, 10m36.2s
Carlos Sainz (E)/Luis Moya(E), Ford Focus RS WRC*, 10m39.7s
Didier Auriol(F)/Denis Giraudet(F), Peugeot 206 WRC*, 10m40.5s
Francois Delecour (F)/Daniel Grataloup (F), Ford Focus RS WRC, 10m40.5s
Harri Rovanpera (FIN)/Risto Pietilainen (FIN), Peugeot 206 WRC, 10m44.4s


Carlos Sainz (E)/Luis Moya(E), Ford Focus RS WRC*, 1m05m37.9s
Thomas Radstrom (S)/Tina Thorner (S), Mitsubishi Carisma GT, +0m01.5s
Harri Rovanpera (FIN)/Risto Pietilainen (FIN), Peugeot 206 WRC, +0m04.9s
Tommi Makinen (FIN)/Risto Mannisenmaki(FIN), Mitsubishi Lancer*, +0m22.4s
Kenneth Eriksson (S)/Staffan Parmander (S), Hyundai Accent WRC*, +0m22.7s
Didier Auriol(F)/Denis Giraudet(F), Peugeot 206 WRC*, +0m27.5s

*denotes nominated for manufacturers' championship points