A significant change in the stance since this time yesterday has seen Craig Breen jump two more places at Rally Monte Carlo.
After the opening two stages on Thursday night, the Ford M-Sport driver was seventh with a clear settling-in period needed in his new hybrid engined Puma.
He was 29 seconds down on Sebastien Ogier ahead of Friday morning. Yesterday's racing began with the first of six stages underway from the early hours and it was on the third stage that Breen's teammate Adrian Fourmaux crashed allowing the Slieverue native to move up the pack into fifth.
Thierry Neuville was finding the going tough and while he had been ahead of Breen in the opening stages, he dropped back in the third to open the door for his Ford rival.
Breen would finish the second day of racing in sixth with Ott Tanak pipping him into fifth place as they drew to a close.
This morning, the veteran Sebastien Loeb would swap places with his fellow French man Sebastien Ogier with the two world champions trading first and second place.
Breen started the day in fifth, but Belgian Thierry Neuville - who was dealing with a damaged front right damper - was fighting to maintain his position, but ultimately Breen squeezed him enough to clinch fourth.
Fortune once again fell for Breen in the 11th stage as Toyota's Elfyn Evans went off the road and down a dip that he couldn't drive back up out of. Despite the gathered fans offering to help him, the stewards were not going to allow them to cross the road to help push his GR Yaris out of the dip. He would have to wait until the rest of the field had passed before he could get his four wheels back on the road and subsequently ruled him out of the standings.
The Waterford native with his co-driver Paul Nagle would maintain their position until the end of the days racing, with Ogier and Loeb holding firm in first and second as the thirteenth stage came to an end. Breen trails the lead of Ogier by 1 minute, 26 seconds ahead of Sunday's final day.
Racing will be back underway tomorrow morning from 7.45 am Irish time.
