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World Rally champion Sebastien Loeb - Source: Reuters
Citroen's world champion Sebastien Loeb will take a 16.2 second advantage into the final day of the Rally of Turkey after vaulting into the lead on Sunday.
The six times champion, chasing his third win in a row after just four rounds of the season, stamped his authority on the second day after starting fifth overall.
Overnight leader Sebastien Ogier, driving for the Citroen junior team, lost the lead when he stopped on stage 15 to change a punctured tyre, costing him three minutes and dropping him to fifth place.
Norway's former world champion Petter Solberg, in a privately-entered Citroen, was in second place with Finland's Mikko Hirvonen third and just 1.1 seconds further back in his Ford.
Former Formula One world champion Kimi Raikkonen moved up to sixth place and on course for his second successive points finish.
"I'm happy with where I am at the moment," said Loeb after a hard day on the gravel and asphalt roads to the north and east of Istanbul. "It may not be easy (tomorrow), but we will try."
The Frenchman leads Finland's Jari-Matti Latvala by 25 points after three rallies. Ford's Latvala ended the second leg in 12th place after crashing on the day's opening stage.
He was unhurt and got going again but lost nine minutes to the leaders.
