Eight-time WRC (World Rally Championship) champion Sebastien Loeb extended his lead at the season-opening Monte Carlo event on, despite not winning any of the three stages on offer.
After the completion of thirteen of the rally's eighteen special stages, the Frenchman's advantage stands at two minutes and 12 seconds over the Mini of Spain's Dani Sordo and 3 minutes 19 over Petter Solberg Ford - Loeb's Citroen team mate Mikko Hirvonen won two of the day's stages to close to within 24 seconds of Solberg, in fourth place overall.
Day three at the 2012 Monte Carlo Rally and eight-time world champion Sebastien Loeb was hoping to build on the one minute 37.5 second advantage he had built up over the first two days, after winning ten of the twelve special stages so far.
However, on the opening 24.13 kilometre (15 mile) route between St. Jean en Roynans and Font d'Urle, Loeb's Citroen seemed to lose some of its pace, only registering the sixth fastest time behind the last man to win the world title before the prolific Frenchman, Norway's Petter Solberg.
Loeb failed to win any of the three special stages set out on Friday, but it didn't matter in the end as his closest rival, Spain's Dani Sordo, didn't win any either and had a difficult day in his Mini.
Sordo lost another 35 seconds to the rally leader over the course of the day and Loeb will take an advantage of two minutes and 12 seconds into Saturday's stages 14 to 17.
Solberg started the day aggressively in his Ford and his victory in stage 11 took him back into second place.
However, his choice of tyres lacked the necessary grip for stage 12 and Solberg ended up more than one minute adrift of Sordo in third.
And it got worse for the 2003 world champion when he broke his Fiesta's front-left wheel rim near the end of stage 13. T
The best overall performer on Friday was Loeb's Citroen team mate, Mikko Hirvonen of Finland, who won stages twelve and thirteen between Cimetiere de Vassieux and Col de Gaudissart and Montauban sur Ouveze and Eygalayes.
Hirvonen lies fourth overall and will be pressing strongly for a podium place over the weekend as he has closed to within 23.8 seconds of Solberg.
Lower down the rankings, Russia's Evgeny Novikov steered his Ford into a comfortable fifth place overall 45 seconds behind Hirvonen, but almost two minutes clear of veteran Francois Delecour.
The 49 year-old Frenchman lies sixth, more than a minute ahead of compatriot Pierre Campana's Mini.
Campana remains on course for his second top 10 finish in the World Rally Championship.
But at the top of the timesheets, Loeb still reigns supreme and is the clear favourite to register a sixth career win at the Rally of Monte Carlo.
SNTV