Elfyn Evans will carry a 13.3-second lead into the final day of Rally Sweden, with Toyota holding a dominant 1-2-3-4 formation.
Evans trailed team-mate Takamoto Katsuta by 2.8s at the beginning of Saturday, but with Katsuta struggling for grip and rhythm, the Welshman pulled clear across the second morning of the event.
Never outside the top-four times all day, Evans judged things perfectly as attention turned to the battle behind.
Oliver Solberg moved ahead of the two Hyundais of Esapekka Lappi and Adrien Fourmaux on Saturday’s opening stage, instead setting his sights on third-placed Sami Pajari.
But the Finn responded over the afternoon, winning two of the four tests to extend his cushion over Solberg from 24s to 33s.
That, in turn, put pressure on Katsuta’s shoulders, who only has a 12.1s advantage over Pajari with a 13.3s deficit to Evans. But Katsuta is not giving up on victory.
“One more day to go,” he said. “Not really happy today but we will find out what was wrong and definitely I try my best tomorrow.”