Rally champion Simon Mauger battled against the odds to finish fourth in class and 40th overall in his debut World Rally Championship event at San Remo.

Driving a works Ford 1.6-litre Puma, Mauger, from Haddenham, and co-driver Scott Poxon set out cautiously faced with their first real taste of the twisting, demanding course. A fuel leak lost them time and they finished the first day eighth in class.

The second leg saw them faster, but with only two stages to go, the car developed a misfire. Despite this, Mauger nursed the car home to fourth place.

On the final day, they stayed close to the pace of teammate Frenchman Patric Magaud but the stage was stopped when Markko Martin crashed and the final stage was also halted after the organisers said spectator numbers had become dangerously large. Mauger, who was crowned 1999 Ford Rally Ka champion and 2000 Ford Puma European Rally champion, said: "The priority was for us to finish and gain as much valuable experience as possible, which is what we achieved."

Mauger stayed in Italy for two days after the event carrying out promotional work for Ford and he is now negotiating a number of sponsorship deals which he hopes will secure a works drive with Ford Racing for 2001.

Anyone interested in helping can contact him on 01844 292238.