Spaniard Jesus Puras remained in front in the Rally of Corsica today, extending his overnight advantage after the event's ninth stage.
Citroen driver Puras posted two best stage times in the opening four runs of the penultimate leg to move 15.9 seconds ahead of Peugeot's Gilles Panizzi.
Frenchman Panizzi retained his second place ahead of team mate and compatriot Didier Auriol, with Subaru's young Norwegian Petter Solberg an impressive fourth.
Joint championship leader Colin McRae moved up to seventh from 11th after setting the best time on the third stage of the day, 'Vero 1', to stay in the hunt for vital drivers' championship points.
Reigning world champion Marcus Gronholm retired his Peugeot at the end of stage eight after he had lost more than three minutes when he damaged a wheel in a collision with a wall.
German Armin Schwarz joined the list of retirements on stage nine, the 'Lopigna 1' run, when transmission and steering problems forced his Skoda out.
Meanwhile, Finn Tommi Makinen's co-driver Risto Mannisenmaki has been transferred to the Clinique Residence de Parc hospital in Marseille to have extensive tests on the back injury he suffered in a spectacular crash on the opening leg.
Mannisenmaki will undergo further treatment on Saturday afternoon, before a decision is made on his participation in the Rally of Australia in two weeks' time.
The drivers face a further three stages on the penultimate leg as they tackle re-runs of the previous three competitive stages before returning to Ajaccio overnight.