The Dumfries-based event was the first gravel rally that Taylor, an 18-year-old Oxford Brookes University student had contested, but with the experienced Mills occupying the co-driver's seat, hopes were high for a good finish.

Taylor was behind the wheel of the Seat Ibiza GTi –formerly driven by BBC Rally Quest winner Francine Bogg – that he first drove earlier in the month on the Weeton-based Keith Frecker Memorial Rally.

On that occasion a broken engine mounting had forced an early retirement but Taylor was confident of finishing his first event in the forests.

All began well through the opening Kinharvie Forest stage but shortly before the finish of the eight-mile test they hit a rock.

Unsighted until the very last second Taylor had no time to take evasive action and the car struck the rock with such force, a suspension strut was pushed through its mounting.

They continued to the stage finish before emergency roadside repairs could be done. They were then able get the car back to the service halt where some work with a welder enabled them to continue.

Following a steady run through the Heathhall and Castle O'er stages they encountered problems of a different sort in the Twiglees test when the intercom failed.

Mills had to resort to giving hand signals to his driver who couldn't even hear him shouting over the noise of the rocks hitting the underside of the car.

The second service halt of the day then followed and with the intercom fixed and the suspension repairs apparently holding, they set off for the final pair of stages in Ae Forest.

Three miles into the opening eight miles their worst fears were founded when the car hit a pothole and the strut broke loose a gain forcing it's way up to the underside of the bonnet.

They made it to the stage finish but any hopes of continuing into the following 13 miles of Ae East were completely dashed when a small fire developed around a rear wheel.

The crew were quickly out of the car in dealing with the incident with an extinguisher but their rally was run – a disappointing premature end to an eventful day.

Taylor though is undeterred by the experience and hopes to be rallying again in the forests soon, before he restarts his studies in September.