Wilson: Ford would be a frontrunner

After the Fiesta S2000's launch on Wednesday, the Cumbrian is running as zero car ahead of the main competing field on the Stirling-based final round of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge.

While no official times are available for the car, it is reported that Wilson would be challenging Alister McRae's Proton for third place.

"We had a really positive first day in the car - it ran very well," said Wilson. "There were absolutely no mechanical problems with the car. It's been a tough day, with some especially rough sections in the last stage - Craigvinean - so to come through there without anything going wrong with the car is very good news."

Wilson's only minor glitch on Friday was with the heated windscreen, which struggled to cope with the heavy rain in Drummond Hill.

"I couldn't see much in there," said Wilson, "but having seen the drops during the recce, maybe that wasn't such a bad thing! I've really enjoyed driving the car, it's very rewarding and it sounds absolutely awesome."