Stage 12: McRae closing the gap

However, the Scot still has a 27s deficit to overcome if he wants to challenge Gronholm's domination of the event.

Tommi Makinen has moved up to third, but the battle is still close, with just 3.2s covering McRae, Makinen and fourth placed Thomas Radstrom.

Richard Burns remains fifth, frustrated by his inability to close the tantalisingly small gap between himself and the leaders.

Francois Delecour has now closed to within 1.5s of sixth placed Juha Kankkunen, but the star of the Skog 1 stage was undoubtedly Toyota privateer Markko Martin. The Estonian driver, widely tipped as a future champion, was sixth fastest, and has moved up to ninth place, ahead of works Mitsubishi driver Freddy Loix and closing fast on former world champion Didier Auriol.

Overall positions after stage 12, Skog 1:

T Makinen 12m50.5s

T Radstrom 12m52.5s

R Burns 12m53.0s

M Gronholm 12m54.4s

F Delecour 13m07.0s

D Auriol 13m09.0s

J Kankkunen 13m11.3s

F Loix 13m14.2s

A McRae 13m16.3s

P Hagstrom 13m21.3s