KEY POINTS:
Finn Mikko Hirvonen hit the front in Rally New Zealand after the first two-stage loop today.
Hirvonen, as the second driver on the road on the final day, has the advantage of compatriot and Ford team-mate Jari-Matti Latvala, the overnight leader, sweeping the gravel surface for him.
He made use of his start position by going to the head of the field on the morning's second stage, the rally's signature Te Whaanga leg along the picturesque Waikato coast east of Hamilton.
Second on the World Rally Championship driver standings behind defending world champion Sebastien Loeb, Hirvonen turned a 3.2 second deficit to Latvala into a 7.1s lead over the 29.72km test.
"It's a big difference having another car in front of me cleaning the road," said Hirvonen, who had the job yesterday.
"But it's still going to be a really, really close fight."
Third 8.9s off the pace is Spaniard Dani Sordo, with Loeb, Sordo's Citroen team-mate, back in fourth spot at 17.6s down.
Loeb, just 4.0s behind at the start of the morning, fell back on the opening stage with a spin.
"It was a long, long left and I went in the wrong camber," the Frenchman said
"When I pushed, the car was spinning, spinning, spinning, and I couldn't stop it. I lost a lot of time."
The error on the 11.23km Te Hutewai stage was estimated to have cost him about 10s.
The next loop of stages is over the same Te Hutewai and Whaanga Coast roads, before the rally finishes with the weekend's third 3.14km sprint at Mystery Creek.
- NZPA
