RallyScotland winner's Monte podiumposted in RSCOT22 | 01 | 2011
RALLYSCOTLAND WINNER Guy Wilks started his 2011 IRC campaign, and his first works' drive for Peugeot, by becoming the first Brit since 2003 to finish on the podium in the Monte Carlo Rally.
But the Darlington driver only secured his Monte podium after Peugeot ordered team-mate Stephane Sarrazin, who had originally finished third, to check-in late to the final checkpoint.
Coincidentally, Wilks (pictured) inherited his 2009 RallyScotland win with Skoda only after Kris Meeke's Peugeot was found to have a technical infringement hours after the event finished.
The situation in Monte though was entirely different. While Wilks will contest the whole IRC season with the Peugeot UK team, Sarrazin's Monte Carlo Rally outing was a one-off.
"Of course, for me it's a great way to start the season and my career with Peugeot," Wilks admitted afterwards. "Yes, it would have been better to have managed to finish on the podium without the assistance from Stephane, but over the while event I'm happy with the way we performed on our first outing in the car." Sarrazin meanwhile was disappointed, but understanding.
"It's a team decision," the Frenchman, who had originally finished 28s ahead of the Englishman but who checked in three-minutes late to the final timecheck, said.
"I do as I am told. It's tough, but I understand this is the sport sometimes. This helps Guy to be in a better points position for the championship.
"The main thing is that Peugeot won this event and we had a very strong final day; without the gearbox problem we could have been fastest on every stage."
Frenchman Bryan Bouffier clinched by far the biggest win of his career by cruising to victory in the Monte, eventually easing back to finish 32.5secs ahead of the Skoda of Belgain Freddy Loix.
Prior to this year's Monte, Bouffier had never even scored an IRC point, having been quick but luckless on his previous appearances. The reigning French champion though took full control of the event with an inspired tyre choice and perfect drive on the rally's only two snow-hit stages on Thursday evening.
Defending IRC champ Juho Hanninen, who won last year's RallyScotland, was the big loser in Thursday's stages and finally brought his Skoda home in sixth place, 1m29.3s behind Bouffier.
Keep up-to-date with all the latest news by following us on twitter.com/scotcars
Jim McGill