THORNBURY’S Adam Gould got his Dulux Trade British Rally Championship campaign back on track with an excellent third overall on last weekend’s Jim Clark Memorial Rally, writes Paul Willetts.

The two-day event, based in the historic Scottish border town of Duns, is the mainland’s only closed public roads rally,and consisted of 16 stages and 150 stage miles.

Six tests made up Friday night’s loop, including two stages around the streets of the host town.

Gould and co-driver Seb Marshall got off to cracking start to lead by four seconds after four stages,but Gould lost top spot overnight to a hard charging David Bogie.

The championship leader held a 0.8 second advantage over Gould as the cars arrived back in Duns. The following day consisted of ten stages in changeable conditions and Gould got off to the worst possible start, bending the rear suspension.

That caused him to drop time with an ill handling car, leaving Bogie to build a healthy lead.

Gould fell back into the clutches of a hard charging Jonny Greer in his Skoda Fabia S2000, and he had no answer to the Irishman, dropping to third.

However, he pushed hard to take the fight to Greer after he went off twice in the later stages of the event in the rain.

Bending every panel on the Pirelli shod Subaru Impreza, he decided to bring it home for a podium finish.

Gould said: “I’m well pleased with third in the end.

“It was another case of what might have been again, I just need a bit of luck on my side.

“We have got the pace to get that elusive outright victory.

“I would like to say a big thankyou to all my sponsors for their support.”

The series now moves to Ireland for the Ulster Rally, another all tarmac affair,but due to the panel damage from the Jim Clark, Gould’s participation is in doubt as he as to pay for new panels and paint for the TEG Sport Impreza He said: “If I bend it, I’ve got to mend it, and panels and materials are very expensive so Ulster is very much in doubt,which is a shame as I feel we are now on the pace of the front runners.”

The event was won by Bogie in his Lancer Evo 9 with Jonny Greer just 17 seconds behind in the Skoda Fabia S2000.

To follow Gould’s progress go to adamrally.com