PROTON Motorsports’ team principal Chris Mellors fears the rough nature of the Drummond Hill stage caused Scottish hero Alister McRae to retire from his home round of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge earlier today.
McRae (pictured) had moved into the top 10 when a holed sump caused a loss of engine oil on the Errochty stage – shown live on Eurosport – and forced him to stop.
“The damage must have been done in Drummond Hill because it was a rock in there that must have put a hole in the sump, which has drained the oil,” said Mellors. “It’s just very disappointing.”
PG Andersson completed stage five in a hugely impressive fourth overall but an electrical glitch caused him to leave regroup in Perth city centre late. The Swede is set to pick up time penalties as a result. However, a replacement battery should enable Andersson to continue to challenge this afternoon.