OXFORDSHIRE ace Richard Burns was aiming to pile the misery on dejected Colin McRae today by claiming the Network Q Rally of Great Britain glory the Scotsman craved.

Burns, who held a lead of 29 seconds over Subaru teammate Juha Kankkunen heading into today's final leg, increased his advantage by a further 1.3secs on the opening stage at St Gwynno in South Wales.

But the 28-year-old, who lives at Kidlington, was unable to add to his impressive haul of fastest stage times which saw him go quickest on all bar two of yesterday's competitive sections.

He was outpaced by Frenchman Francois Delecour, who had been running in the top three on Sunday, but fell away on day two when he lost three minutes on one stage.

Burns was carrying the full support of the home fans after Colin McRae's dramatic exit on the last stage of the second day.

The Oxford-based star had easily shaken off the challenge of the Scot in their 'Battle of Britain', McRae more than a minute-and-a-half behind Burns in fourth place when he retired.

Story date: Tuesday 23 November

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