Mikkelsen clear as Wilks suffersposted in RSCOT08 | 10 | 2011
NORWEGIAN ANDREAS MIKKELSEN grabbed a healthy 28.6-second lead at the mid-point of today's six-stage leg of RallyScotland, the penultimate round of the Intercontinental Rally Chamipionship. But his path was eased after 2009 winner Guy Wilks lost six minutes with a mistake on SS5 at Errochty.
The Darlington driver, overnight leader, entered the 10.9-mile stage trailing Mikkelson's Skoda UK Motorsport Fabia S2000 by just 3.4s, but the Englishman's rally was wrecked five miles into the test.
"I was convinced we had a rear puncture and I didn't want to lose time and I was pushing like hell, and I pushed too hard," Wilks (pictured in action this morning) explained.
"I was just too stubborn. I was pushing hard to close the gap to Andreas, and instead I should have been more patient and level-headed.
"We came round a left-hand bend and hooked the front left tyre into the ditch, but we lost it coming out and we spun 360-degrees and ended up beached in the ditch, facing skywards with the Peugeot's front wheels off the ground.
"In the end we got pushed out by five or six big burly Swedes, who appeared from nowhere, but by that time we'd lost more than six minutes and essentially we we're out of it."
Vettel bags Suzuka pole: Di Resta starts 12th
While Wilks nursed his car back to the service halt at Perth Airfield, having dropped from second to 23rd, 6mins 24.8secs behind Mikkelsen, there was worse news for Alister McRae
The 40-year-old from Lanark ground to a halt in the same stage as Wilks hit problems, but for the Scot the damage to his Proton proved terminal.
"We just lost all oil pressure," the former British champ explained afterwards. "We stopped on the stage as soon as we could, but our rally's over."
Mikkelsen, fastest through two of the opening three stages — Drummond Hill and Errochty — leads the Peugeot of Thierry Neuville, with his French team-mate Bryan Bouffier third, 5.1s further back.
Dumfries 24-year-old David Bogie meanwhile continued to fightback in GpN class. Having dripped 30s with intercom problems through the opening two night tests on Friday, the Scot had climbed from 14th to 11th.
Spirited new Nissan Leaf on Islay
Keep up-to-date with all the latest RallyScotland action by following us on twitter.com/scotcars
Jim McGill