Kris Meeke could become the first Briton since Richard Burns to finish on the podium on a round of the World Rally Championship, providing he can catch Henning Solberg for third place on Wales Rally GB.
Burns, the 2001 world champion, finished in third place on Rally Australia in September 2003, a handful of months before he was diagnosed with an astrocytoma, a form of brain tumour, which would ultimately claim his life a two years later.
“We keep taking time out of Henning and maybe we could have taken a bit more on Crychan had we not been too cautious on the Tarmac sections,” said Northern Irishman Meeke, who trails Solberg by 21.3s. “We keep trying and we will see what happens. As we’ve seen with Sebastien [Loeb] you never know what can happen in this game.”
Meeke’s co-driver said: “He will push absolutely to the maximum. Kris is driving exceptionally well today, really good.”
Burns was also the last Briton to finish on the podium on Rally GB, a feat he achieved when he finished third on the event in 2001 to secure the world title alongside co-driver Robert Reid.