After being sixth in class on the opening stage of the testing rally, the GSE Motorsport-developed MG ZR EX258 was second quickest on the split times for stage three before being caught out by a patch of gravel at high-speed.

“It was going really well and the car was quick,” explained Gwyndaf. “We were second quickest on the split time up until that point, then the car stepped out violently on some gravel, we were unable to recover, and ended up on our roof in a ditch. The pace of the MG shows that there is so much more to come from this car, and it's a shame we didn't get to prove that right here.”

Stage three was a repeat of the morning's opening stage, a 28.7km climb on narrow mountain roads above Monaco.

The MG ZR EX258 will be contesting the entire 2002 Junior World Rally Championship, to be held on six major rallies across Europe. Next JWRC event for the car and crew will be the Rallye Catalunya, to be held in Spain, which begins on March 22.

Issued by MG Rover Group Corporate Communications