Wilks in front after SS1

Guy Wilks took the lead for Škoda UK in unexpectedly slippery conditions on the short stage around Scone Palace. The slick surface took fellow Fabia pilot Juho Hänninen by surprise and he ran off the road in his first run.

"It’s a little more slippery than I expected and we went on the grass," he said.

Peugeot UK’s Kris Meeke was less than two seconds adrift while several other drivers took a conservative approach. The recently crowned British Rally Champion Keith Cronin, rounding out the top 10 in his Proton Satria, said, "I was braking too early. It’s difficult to know where the grip is when you’ve got gravel tyres on an asphalt surface. I’m hoping for better this weekend."

Overall positions after SS1:

Ceremonial Start and Stages 1 & 2 Scone Palace, Perth

Scone Palace is the historical home of the Stone of Destiny, the stone that Kings and
Queens of Scotland were crowned upon. Robert the Bruce was crowned here in 1306 and
the last coronation took place in 1651, when King Charles II became King of Scotland and
England. There is a replica of the Stone of Destiny in the grounds of Scone Palace today and
this historic site is even mentioned in Shakespeare’s Macbeth.

The First Minister of Scotland, the Rt Hon Alex Salmond will wave off the first 10 cars in front
of the Palace to mark the start of the 2010 RACMSA Rally of Scotland along with Sir Jackie
Stewart. Shortly after this ceremony the first of the competitive stages will take place with
the competitors rallying past the entrance to the Palace and on through the grounds to get
the real action underway. This stage will be run twice and will feature trade stands and an
autograph signing session before the action starts.

Guy Wilks says: “A fantastic stage to start the rally in front of such an historic building in
Scotland. A tricky stage with lots of surface changes. It’s starts on asphalt, and of course
the rally cars are set-up for gravel, there is loose gravel in front of the house and a very
slippery slope down to what was the finish last year. – so very exciting for spectators. The
stage has been extended by the organisers for 2010 and I believe that it is now very fast
towards the end, again on a tricky mixture of tarmac and gravel. If you push hard you can
make up some time, but there are some unusual obstacles and it could be the end of your
rally if you hit anything.”