Revolution Wheels Rally Team driver Euan Thorburn ended his debut season in the top level of British Rallying with a fine run to seventh overall in his Subaru Impreza N12 on last weekends high speed International Rally of Yorkshire.

Thorburn, who was recently crowned as Scottish Group N Champion, had never tackled the Pickering based event before and then faced a further handicap when regular co-driver Campbell Roy had to answer a family emergency after the recce. A late call up from David Robson meant that the Revolution Wheels driver took to the start as planned on Saturday morning.

This was also the first event that Thorburn had made his own notes but once he had found a pace he was comfortable with, the 23-year-old began to trade times with his fellow junior drivers, eventually returning to the ceremonial finish seventh overall and ending his maiden MSA British Rally Championship campaign tenth in the overall points standings.

Warren McKiernan, the Revolution Wheels Rally Team principal, was pleased with the performance Thorburn has displayed all year long.

“Euan has had a pretty turbulent season but he has proved his pace on a number of occasions,” he said. “This weekend he showed how adaptable he is, with a last minute co-driver change, another new rally and making his own notes for the first time. It was a brilliant, level-headed performance and we wish him all the best in the forthcoming Pirelli Star Driver shootout!”

Thorburn, who was the nominated Pirelli Star Driver for the Jim Clark International Rally in May, will join the other nominated drivers in a few weeks time for the chance to win a fully funded drive in the 2010 MSA British Rally Championship.

Before then he has the small task of contesting the McRae Stages where he still has a shot at the overall MSA Scottish Rally Championship title.

By Geoff Mayes