Craig Breen crashed out of the Rally of New Zealand overnight while sitting in second position.
Breen and co-driver Paul Nagle were just 2.6 seconds behind Welsh driver Elfyn Evans heading into Stage 5, but the pair crashed out on a tight right-hander during the Whaanga Coast stage.
Estonia's Ott Tänak, chasing his third victory in four events on FIA World Rally Championship, will take the lead into the penultimate day.
Tänak was the last of five lead changes on the longest day of the WRC this year, with 159 kilometres of racing.
The 34-year-old, who won recent back-to-back WRC events in Finland and Belgium, leads a tight battle in the WRC1 class where the leading four drivers are within seven seconds.
