Kris Meeke has closed to within 8.9 seconds of fourth-placed Bruno Magalhães after a stunning run through the 25.26-kilometre Telde stage on Rally Islas Canarias.
Meeke, the defending Intercontinental Rally Challenge champion, was quickest by 9.1 seconds on the stage in his Peugeot UK 207 Super 2000.
With one stage remaining before the finish in Las Palmas, Jan Kopecký leads Škoda Motorsport team-mate Juho Hänninen overall by 12.2 seconds.
Hänninen was second fastest on the stage with Kopecký third quickest.