Media pairing Tony Jardine and Maurice Hamilton battled through tough conditions on Wales Rally GB to secure a finish on the final round of the World Rally Championship, with the duo coming home 67th overall and eighth in the N3 class at the wheel of the Castrol/Radio 5 Live Ford Fiesta.
Sky Sports Jardine and
5 Live's Hamilton endured a difficult weekend in the Welsh forests, which included a clutch failure and a roll on leg two and overheating issues on leg three to take the finish after a rally Jardine admitted was amongst the most difficult he had ever encountered.
The incident on leg two during the Epynt stage looked like it could be the end of the road for the duo after Jardine clipped a rock and rolled the car onto its roof, but hard work from the ProSpeed Motorsport run squad enabled the media partnership to restart leg three under SupeRally.
"It has been a rollercoaster ride on Rally GB this year,” Jardine admitted. "Our clutch failed on Saturday morning which meant we had to limp through the day and then of course we had our big off in the afternoon.
"We took such a battering that I honestly felt like giving up after rolling the car in Epynt, but it was the team sprit and determination of the ProSpeed crew and team boss Olly Marshall that encouraged me to carry on. They are the real heroes as they worked through the night and literally re-built the car.
"Despite all of the other problems we have encountered we got the car home and that's a great team achievement. Maurice's expertise and calmness as a navigator has helped us survive the wind, rain, fog and rocks on the stages."
Despite restarting, the final leg provided further drama as a leaking radiator led to a persistent over-heating issue on the Fiesta. However, having stopped for ten minutes on the final stage to add water to the boiling engine, they nursed the car home to the finish.
"I've never known such a tough event," Hamilton said. "We had everything thrown at us from unbelievably bad weather to various problems which the service team managed to overcome.
"I can't believe we made it to the finish considering all the problems we faced. It really feels good to finish and our thanks goes to all the marshals and recovery teams who have helped us throughout the event."
