Gamble lost two minutes with a puncture, allowing round one winner Gordon Nichol to take an early lead. But then Gamble, on a real charge, blitzed the field and entering the last stage was less than a minute behind the Scotsman.
However cruel luck for Gordon saw his clutch go on the last stage, costing him over 2 minutes and dropping him to fourth. Not only did this gift Gamble his fourth win of the year it also means he has wrapped up the Suzuki Swift Cup with one round still to go.
At the finish the top two cars in each class were called in for post-event scrutiny. Whilst Higgins’ Subaru was signed off with no queries the same could not be said for Wilks’ works Mitsubishi, which was subsequently removed from the results, allowing Mark to inherit the win.
So, whilst the results might remain provisional for some time, it cannot be disputed that Wilks won the rally on the stages. But was it with a car that had a performance advantage? No one knows.
Either way Mark Higgins heads to Wales Rally GB, the grand finale, currently tied with his brother David on points.
With the Swansea based rally counting as two separate events for the British Rally Championship and with dropped scores allowed, it looks set to be an all Higgins family affair. But should Wilks get away with a slap on the wrist then it will be a three-way battle royal.
Whatever happens be sure not to miss the Wales Rally GB, which runs from December 5-7.
