Neil Johnson reports from the RAC Rally

NIGEL Worswick was in sensational form on the Network Q RAC Rally, storming 41 places up the leader board to claim 10th spot overall after this morning's special stage 22 at Dyfi in Mid-Wales.

The Blackburn engineer, partnered by Clive Molyneux, has made the most of their Sierra Cosworth's four-wheel-drive traction in the some appalling conditions - despite damaging the car in Clumber Park yesterday after hitting straw bales.

German Armin Schwarz is still holds a commanding six-minute lead going into the final afternoon of the event.

Schwarz, driving a Toyota Celica GT4, took advantage of the misfortunes of others in an incident-packed first two days.

Snow and sheet ice reduced the event to a lottery, with seven of the top ten seeds out by last night.

Hot-favourite Juha Kankkunen, also in a Toyota, retired after just three stages with engine problems, and former World Rally champion Ari Vatanen didn't even get to the end of the opening Kershope test, going out with broken suspension his Escort Cosworth. A delighted Worswick said: "I've never seen conditions like it on an RAC, never mind going fast, it's a job just keeping the car on the road."

Four places behind Worswick overnight - in 15th overall - is the Mitsubishi Lancer of Julian Porter and co-driver Ian Grindrod, from Copster Green.

The pair went off for five minutes on the Falstone stage in Kielder - at a speed of 12mph.

"It's like being with a drunk driver, he's all over the road!" joked Grindrod last night.

Rossendale crew Ian Knight and Noel Fletcher, in their Peugeot 205GTi, kept out of trouble in 59th overall and 16th in class.

The survivors tackled the final day 'sting in the tail' -114 miles in the forests of North and Mid-Wales today.

And Martin Brundle's dream of completing the rally literally went up in flames today when his car caught fire on stage 19.

The Formula One star had endured a traumatic first competitive rally after crashing into a ditch on the opening day which left him well down the classifications.

He battled his way up to 73rd position after the second leg, but was forced to retire on today's first timed section at Myherin in mid-Wales.

Brundle and co-driver Roger Freeman are escaped uninjured from the burning Ford Escort Cosworth.

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