KEY POINTS:
Sebastien Loeb set the scene for an intriguing climax to Rally New Zealand after surging to a slender lead over arch-rival Marcus Gronholm late on day two through the Waikato today.
Loeb, a three-time World Rally Champion (WRC), left all but Gronholm gathering dust as he piloted his Citroen C4 expertly around six dry and loose-gravel stages to ultimately take a 1.7 second advantage over the current drivers' championship leader.
Gronholm conceded ground in two pivotal stages over today's 130km journey, with a notable 11.3sec loss on the 31.58km slide through Franklin coming back to haunt him.
A poor choice of tyre by the BP-Ford World Rally team gave Loeb the impetus he needed there - a role reversal from when Gronholm yesterday guessed correctly and made hay on damp, muddy terrain.
Gronholm had also hoped his familiarity with the second leg - Loeb only did reconnaissance last year as could not compete due to a broken collarbone - would also be beneficial.
But the Frenchman proved a quick learner, prevailing in four of the half dozen stages. Gronholm's biggest success was a 5sec gain over the 13.88km section christened "Possum" in recognition of the late New Zealand rally legend Possum Bourne.
He also made a 0.4sec at the super special stage at Mystery Creek but Loeb's gains were far more significant - particularly a 5.4sec turnaround on the finale 32.64km at Te Akau North.
That left Loeb with the momentum heading into tomorrow's seven-stage climax, though he was taking nothing for granted.
"The gap is not big. It will be a hard Sunday, not a Sunday drive like usual," he said. "I pushed really hard today and couldn't do better. I made a few mistakes but we are still on the road - just."
Gronholm was left to rue a flawed decision to use "soft" tyres. Loeb astutely went for a harder compound. As the roads dried the Finn's tyres lost their edge leading into the lunchtime service.
"I took tyres that were too soft and didn't work on the long (eighth) stage.
"The car was like a snake and was sliding a lot. Tyre choice was crucial and it's hard to make the right decision when the stages are two hours and more than 100km away."
Gronholm, who leads the WRC drivers' standings by eight points, was also hampered by a puncture in the final stage and front bumper damage.
"I have to find something in the car now, and go as fast as I can." Barring mechanical problems or driver error, the rally appears destined to decided by a Loeb/Gronholm dogfight.
Mikko Hirvonen is a relatively distant third, 1min 10.8sec behind his BP-Ford teammate. Another Finnish Ford driver Jari-Matti Latvala (Stobart VK M-Ford Rally Team) starts the run home in fourth, another 49.8sec adrift.
New Zealand's contingent played their part in what resembled a war of attrition with Dean Sumner and Emma Gilmour the notable casualties among eight retirements.
Sumner, the leading local after day one, ran out of fuel 1km from the end of the eighth stage while Gilmour retired at day's end citing steering problems with her Subaru. Richard Mason, the defending national champion, was as high as second in the Production WRC but a gearbox problem on the final stage saw him fade to sixth, two minutes behind frontrunner Niall McShae (Northern Ireland).
Sam Murray retained his lead in the NZ national championships by earning 35 points in winning the race within a race as the leading New Zealander.
With one of the six rounds remaining in Nelson in the national series later this month, he has 207 points, 20 ahead of Hayden Paddon who regrouped after yesterday's gearbox dramas to earn 23 points.
"It's been really hard getting used to the standard (gear) box, I had to change my driving style," he said.
"I've been missing some gears and finding I'm in the wrong gear at the wrong time but considering we're in an older car with a standard box the times are OK.
"There is basically half a second disadvantage per kilometre having a standard gearbox and not a `dog' box (which does not require a clutch change)."
"It adds up, that's a lot of time. I have to make the best of a bad situation." Mason is third with 182 points while Sumner was stuck on 166 in fourth.
- NZPA
