SNOW and ice on the Wales Rally GB put the skids under Daniel Barritt’s attempt to finish his rally season in style.
The 28-year-old from Barrowford was navigating former Japanese champion Fumio Nutahara in the production car class of the event, the final round of the World Championship.
And the pair, who were lying seventh overall in the PWRC, were hoping to sign off 2008 with a top five result.
But the treacherous weather conditions, which forced the organisers to shorten the first day’s stages, caught out the pair on SS7 at Walter’s Arena.
Explained Daniel: “We had everything, snow, ice, mud, rain, hail, sleet and thunder and lightning.
“Fumio was very nervous about driving in the conditions, which had left the stages covered in sheet ice. With no confidence in the car’s grip, he found it difficult to get any rhythm going and therefore couldn’t get any consistency in his times.
“We were lying 25th overall and eighth in class and the plan was to get through the first day’s stages and hope for an improvement in the weather, but unfortunately we didn’t make it that far.
“We were about 100 metres into stage seven at the Walter’s Arena going into a flat right and flat left kink. “In fifth gear, the car just lost grip on the ice and spun down the road.
“Luckily, we ended up facing the right way down the stage and set off again, but smoke started to appear from under the bonnet and the engine temperature went through the roof.
“We got to the end of the stage and headed off for stage eight, which was a repeat of the one we had just done, but on the road section it was clear the something was seriously wrong with the car.
“We must have hit something during the spin as the radiator was smashed and the turbo intercooler was damaged. The overheating caused the engine to seize and that was it, we were out.”
The retirement marked a disappointing end to Barritt and Nutahara’s three-year partnership with the Advan PIAA team in the Production World Championship.
With a generation of younger, faster drivers coming into the series, 45-year-old Nutahara has struggled to match the pace of the front-runners this season.
l Newly-crowned World Rally champion Sebastien Loeb claimed his maiden Wales Rally GB victory in a dramatic final day of action.
Loeb’s 11th win of the season, a new record, and a podium for Dani Sordo, who was over a minute behind the leading pair, also ensured that Citroen took the manufacturers’ championship title ahead of Ford.
Loeb, ecstatic to have claimed victory, said: “It was really tricky with the ice but this win was really enjoyable.”
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here