Class 8 (4WD GpN over 2000cc) is even tighter, with both men tied in the points - the Elgin driver again having the advantage after scoring higher earlier in the year.

Stonehaven's Groundwater, meanwhile, is under no illusions about the task facing him.

"Due to the points difference between me and Steven the only thing for me to do is to go for maximum attack and try to get a few cars between me and him by the day's end", said Groundwater, " It's a tall order seeing how the SRC is so closely fought nowadays, but realistically, where I am overall and in GpN points-wise at the moment is where I am likely to finish off the year".

Groundwater and regular navigator Jude Wylie from Jedburgh, will have been buoyed by their GpN win on the Merrick where they finished sixth overall, thirteen seconds ahead of Clark, in their Mitsubishi Evo 9.

Dumfries star David Bogie might have missed out on the overall championship this year, but he holds dear his maiden SRC victory on last year's McRae Stages - which went ahead two weeks after the helicopter crash.

Reflecting on that sombre occasion, Bogie said: "It was an emotional victory, that's for sure - and in all my motorsport career so far, I regard it as my most special day yet".

The car driven by Bogie that day was the Toyota Corolla WRC - hired at the eleventh hour from McGeehan Motorsport in Northern Ireland - in which he has contested the SRC throughout this season.

However, the car sustained serious damage when Bogie and co-driver Kevin Rae crashed heavily on the Merrick, resulting in it being shipped to Holland to be re-jigged.

For the McRae Stages, Bogie will be behind the wheel of an '05-plate Ford Focus WRC - again from McGeehan Motorsport.

However, this time there is a catch - the car is left-hand drive - something the 21-year-old driver has never experienced.

"It's certainly going to be a steep-learning curve", said Bogie. "I'm getting to test it at Greystoke in Cumbria on Wednesday [September 24] with Malcolm and Matthew Wilson, so hopefully I'll get a feel for the car - it's certainly going to be very different.

"As far as the 'McRae' is concerned, it'll be a case of watching my times, and making sure I get to the end".

In the Scottish Junior Championship, Newton Stewart's Mark McCulloch leads fellow Peugeot 205 GTi competitor Euan Duncan of Aberdeen by one point, but has the advantage once dropped scores are taken into account.

"I'm aiming for a top three finish on the McRae in order to secure both the junior title, and Class 3," said Mark. "I'm fairly nervous about the event but I'm just going to drive as I have all year and hopefully everything will come good".