DARLINGTON'S Guy Wilks outclassed the field in the Jim Clark Memorial Rally to secure his third successive maximum points haul in the Kwik-Fit Pirelli British Super 1600 Championship.

The 23-year-old secured Suzuki's first ever class win on a tarmac surface, finishing a superb eighth overall in the Scottish event on Saturday.

Wilks and co-driver Phil Pugh won 17 of the 23 special stages in the Super 1600 class to finish nearly six minutes ahead of championship leader, Jonnie Wigmore in a Ford Puma. The weather conditions and mechanical problems forced the five of the seven Super 1600 cars who started the event out, leaving just Wilks and Wigmore to finish. The result pushes Wilks to within two points of Wigmore as the battle for this year's Championship hots up.

"I feel on top of the world after this result as it increases my chances of winning the Super 1600 championship," said Wilks. "It also takes away the memory of my non-finish the last time I competed here in 2003.

"The heavy rain during some of the stages made driving conditions really tricky and we had some scary moments on many of the stages.

"The roads frequently felt like they had black ice on them."

The win comes on the back of another superb drive on the Junior World Rally Championship round in Turkey last weekend, where the pair finished a superb third in class.

Wilks added: "We've had back to back British and JWRC rounds twice now and secured three maximum class points and also a third in class. I'm feeling very confident in the car and my driving now and I'm already looking forward to the Manx International Rally, even though it is nearly four weeks away!"

Wilks and Pugh now have three-and-a-half-weeks of rest before heading to the Isle of Man for the next round of the Kwik-Fit Pirelli British Super 1600 Championship, the aforementioned Manx International Rally between July 29 and 31.

* Yorkshireman Justin Wilson crashed out after just a few yards of the Champ Car Grand Prix of Cleveland.

The Mi-Jack Conquest Racing driver started from a career-best second on the grid but had little chance to take advantage.

As the field bunched up into the first corner Wilson came off worse and crashed into retirement with reigning champion Paul Tracy also eliminated in the incident.

Sebastien Bourdais won the race from Newman-Haas team-mate Bruno Junqueira.

Published: ??/??/2004