A bizarre clutch issue for Andreas Mikkelsen could dash Volkswagen's hopes of departing the World Rally Championship with a fourth consecutive top-two in the drivers standings.
Mikkelsen lost 9.8 seconds to his world champion Volkswagen teammate Sebastien Ogier on the 16th stage of Rally Australia in Coffs Harbour on Saturday, after his clutch mysteriously shifted to rest against his brake.
It gave the effect of him driving with his brakes on throughout the second half of the 14km stage and saw his lead diminished to just two seconds with five stages remaining on the final day.
"I'm not sure exactly what it was," Mikkelsen said.
"Suddenly I just felt the car not accelerating properly.
"I've never experienced it before."
He worked after the stage to move the clutch slightly, while his brakes will also needed fixing after being driven on for approximately five minutes.
Mikkelsen must win the event and hope Thierry Neuville misses the podium at the end of Sunday's five stages to have any chance of finishing second in the title race.
If Neuville remains where he is in fourth, Mikkelsen must also finish in the top three and outgun him in the final power stage, where additional championship points are on offer.
Ogier has already indicated he will not play team tactics to allow Mikkelsen the win.
The four-time champion's position is even more impressive when considered he has led the pack away in every stage on the loose gravel.
"To be second after two days of sweeping the road is an amazing performance," Ogier said.
"We can be proud of what we've done."
New Zealand's Hayden Padden is 12 seconds behind, still an outside chance to claim second in the championship himself.
Padden was 10.2 seconds quicker than the rest of the serious race contenders when he won the first stage through Nambucca in the morning, despite dust inundating the car.
"Must be damage underneath the car somewhere - it felt as if the rear door was open," he said.
"It started right from the start.
"And at the last point in the trees it was just hard to focus on the braking points."
However fearing a repeat of last year's disastrous Saturday where he lost 30 seconds on the leaders, a conservative style saw him drop back to 12 seconds off the pace in the later stages.
Critically though, he is 21.8 seconds clear of Neuville, who is safe in fourth.
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