With one round of the British Rally Championship under their belts and an almost perfect scorecard on the gravel of Kielder, Guy Wilks & Phil Pugh still had outstanding unfinished business on the Jim Clark Rally.
When the two worst scores were dropped, their points tally in 2007 was a perfect 100/100, but the tally belied problems on two of the asphalt rounds. The Jim Clark was going so well, the lead changing several times early on, but by stage eleven, Wilks had pulled 21 seconds clear of team mate Gwyndaf Evans, with championship rival Mark Higgins a further eleven seconds adrift.
On stage twelve, the final test of the first day, the heavens opened, catching out Wilks' slick-shod Mitsubishi which careered though a hedge, effectively ending his challenge. Super Rally may have allowed him to re-start the next day, but Higgins took victory after Evans suffered mechanical problems.
Fortunes were reversed back in April this year with Higgins' MG S2000 challenge fading when his engine expired. It was a Mitsubishi 1-2, but Fin Juho Hänninen was a worthy first-timer runner-up to Wilks and 2004 Champion David Higgins back on the podium.
The Mitsubishi Motors UK pairing of Wilks & Hughes took the opening event by the scruff of the neck as they had in 2007, setting fastest times on all but one stage. Wilks' march to the top step of the podium was unhampered by anything more serious than acting as road sweeper to the following pack.
Second on the Pirelli was Finn Juho Hänninen, but he will not contest the Jim Clark. In a brand-new N14 Subaru and third was David Higgins, who was delighted to be on the pace again after swapping to the new car. He will have to learn and set it up all over again on the asphalt of the Berwickshire lanes.
Mark Higgins' rally came to an untimely end in his new MG S2000 Sport, when engine problems forced him to stop on stage ten. His newly announced IRC programme will mean he returns to the TEG Sport fold for the Jim Clark, eager to repeat last year's victory.
Mitsubishi Motors UK lead the Teams' Championship by virtue of Wilks' win and Morrow's fourth place on the opening round. The team is looking forward to laying some ghosts to rest on the Jim Clark, which wasn't its best event last year to say the least, both drivers relying on Super Rally to gain Teams' points.
Team TQ.com go to the Scottish borders in second, David Higgins third place making the lion's share of points on the Pirelli, while team Principal Hugh Evans had a frustrating off, relying on use Super Rally to restart.
Atlas TEG Sport's Patrik Flodin and Wyn Humphreys took fifth and ninth place respectively, the team ending the event in third place, a single tantalising point adrift of second. Humphreys will be rejoined in the team by Mark Higgins, reuniting last year's runner up partnership.
Fourth is the Revolution Wheels Rally Team with just Rob Swann scoring points in eleventh. The team has announced that James Wozencroft will replace Karl Simmons on this event as the second scoring driver, after his excellent tenth place in his older Subaru.
The ceremonial start to the Jim Clark International Rally is in the Borders town of Kelso at 4pm on Friday 23rd May. The first of the seventeen stages gets underway on Saturday morning from the nearby Charterhall airfield service area, with cars returning for an overnight halt at around 6pm.
The remainder of the 151 stage miles starts early on Sunday before a finish ceremony in Kelso just before 2pm will see the winner take the well-earned spoils.
