Motorsport: Solid day for Hayden Paddon at Rally Finland

Kiwi driver Hayden Paddon retains fifth place at Rally Finland and is the lead Hyundai driver after the second full day of competition.

Toyota's Ott Tanak remains the rally leader, opening up a 39 second lead over Citroen's Mads Ostberg. Finn Jari-Matti Latvala is third in his Toyota 44.4s behind Tanak.

Paddon, who is 1:29.6s behind Tanak, had been fourth at the start of the day but was overtaken by hard-charging Toyota driver Esapekka Lappi. The Finn is nine seconds ahead of Paddon heading into the final day's action.

"Our objective today has been focused on looking at the manufacturer points that we would achieve with our current position," Paddon explained. "We wanted to keep the Fords behind us, as Lappi would not be eligible for manufacturer points as things stand. There was not much we could do to keep him behind – he's a man on a mission.

"We have had to take it easy and just try to do a solid job for the team. I've continued to feel comfortable in the car, and the changes we've made on the front differential have really made a difference. The hot conditions have punished the tyres in the afternoon, but I am pleased to be up there with Finns on their home turf and drivers who have won this event before."

Paddon's championship-leading teammate Thierry Neuville remains in 10th position and looks set to lose some ground to defending world champion Sebastien Ogier, who is seventh.

Four stages will take place on the final morning, covering a distance of 45.72km.