For Ross based co-driver Paul Morris it was a case of what might have been on last week’s Silver Fern Rally, a six-day event based in Christchurch, New Zealand.

Morris, who was competing on this classic marathon for the first time with his regular historic driver, Simon Tysoe, who had competed on the event previously.

The rally consisted of 47 special stages, totalling over 1,000 kilometres of the best gravel roads in world rallying, with 55 cars lining up in Christchurch.

The duo got off to a fantastic start in the Jondel Race Engines backed Escort RS1800, leading the historic section by 36 seconds on day one.

But after a good start on day two’s opening tests, disaster struck on the third stage of the day when a tightening bend saw them clip a bank, with the front of the car pitching them into a gentle roll on to their roof.

Sadly, with no spectators about, they took a stage maximum of 33 minutes, and plummeted down the leaderboard to 40th overall.

With the car now in fine fettle, they set about charging up the leaderboard over the remaining four days of intense action.

After setting good times apart from one or two moments they were well pleased to climb back to 10th overall at the end.

Morris commented:?“Its been a fantastic adventure, a truly awesome rally, but for losing that time, who knows where we would have finished, take away those 33 minutes we lost with the roll on day two and we were less than a minute behind Merion.

“I would love to come back in two years time when the event is due to run again.”

The event was won by Welshman Merion Evans in his Escort RS1800.