Tanak gains rally Portugal lead

Ogier's M-Ford Sport team-mate Ott Tanak had held the lead after Friday's leg but brake and suspension damage saw him lose nearly a minute and a half.

Four-time world champion Sebastien Ogier leads Rally Portugal by almost 17 seconds while Kiwi Hayden Paddon has suffered more mechanical failure on the second full day.

Meeke had been running in second position before the midday break, hitting the front on the first stage of the afternoon.

The Frenchman holds a 17 second lead over Thierry Neuville's Hyundai and is now on course to equal Markku Alen's record of five Rally Portugal victories.

Day two standings 1.

Tanak had also been fastest through the opening two splits of SS12, but hit a bank before the third split and damaged his left-rear suspension.

That means the pair will enter Sunday's final day of competition with Ogier 16.8s to the good over the i20 of Neuville.

The Spaniard came through the finish at the end of SS15 with damage to the rear-left of his auto, but completed the day with more than half a minute in hand over the fourth-place vehicle of Tanak.

The attrition has moved Toyota's Juho Hanninen and Esapekka Lappi up to seventh and eighth, the latter slowed with a loss of power from a holed intercooler through Friday's final stages.

Andreas Mikkelsen once again holds a commanding lead in WRC2, he is three minutes ahead of his nearest competitor.

He managed to drag his Ford Fiesta WRC to the finish but eventually dropped 1m23.1s to Ogier - who recorded the fastest time through the stage - and relinquished the lead, dropping to fifth in the overall classification.