WRC Rally Australia: Day 2 review

Rally Australia is set for a thrilling conclusion with the top three drivers separated by just 2.6 seconds.

Volkswagen's Sebastien Ogier has achieved the impossible by leading despite sweeping the road of gravel for two days, however his margin is a scant 0.3sec over Citroen's Kris Meeke. Volkswagen's flying Finn, Jari-Matti Latvala, trails by just 2.3sec.

However, the thrillilng battle at the front was overshadowed by controversy surrounding the final stage of the day run in darkness.

A number of drivers had expressed concerns about hanging dust prior to the event, but despite organisers increasing the gap between cars from three to five minutes, most drivers complained about poor visibility.

Kris Meeke was particularly incensed, refusing to talk to TV and media crews at stage end and offering only "It's a disgrace" when pushed on the matter.

The day's fastest driver was Hyundai's Haydon Paddon, the young New Zealander cheered on by an army of fans from 'across the ditch'. Having won both morning stages, Paddon then lost some time with tyre problems in the afternoon; he finished the day fifth, 19.4sec from the lead.

Rally Australia concludes with five stages tomorrow, with extra points on offer for the three fastest drivers through the rally's final stage.