Down to business for Guy Wilks and Skoda

The preparations are over and it was down to business for Guy Wilks and Phil Pugh in the Skoda UK-supported Skoda Fabia S2000 this evening, on the first two stages of the 2009 RACMSA Rally of Scotland. Wilks was second-fastest on both of the two super special stages, run in the grounds of Scone Palace in Perth in front of thousands of rally fans and is perfectly poised for the first full day of action tomorrow.

Heavy rain throughout the day meant that the part-asphalt, part-gravel stage was particularly tricky, with several competitors suffering spins on their way through the slippery 1.53Km timed test. Several also fell foul of mist and the remains of smoke from the huge firework display that opened the finale of the 2009 Intercontinental Rally Challenge.

However, Wilks adopted a trademark cautious pace through the two stages, keenly aware that while it is impossible to win a rally on a stage such as this, it is entirely possible to lose it. Despite this reserved start, he and Pugh completed the two stages in second place overall, just four second behind early leader Kris Meeke.

Speaking after the second stage, Wilks said: “That was really good. We’re bedding ourselves in carefully and not taking too many risks at this stage. It was very tricky going from tarmac to gravel and would have been easy to make a mistake, so we were careful.

“Tomorrow’s the big day though and I’m really looking forward to getting into the forests.”

The second day of the event takes the crews into the forests to the west of Perth, including the Drummond Hill test, revered as one of the most challenging yet rewarding stages in the UK. They face a total of 92 competitive kilometres over five stages, before arriving at the overnight halt in Stirling from around 6.30pm.