A Newcastle Emlyn rally driver had a tough day at the office in his latest race in Scotland.

James Williams retired from the Jim Clark Rally after a power steering failure ruined his chance at a podium place.

Williams, aged 26, and his co-driver Ross Whittock, had previously won the Protyre National Asphalt Championship.

Delighted with his win, Williams was eager to add another triumph to his tally.

The setback left the pair disappointed, especially as they had previously secured second place in the Jim Clark Rally in 2022.

The Hyundai i20 Rally2 driver sponsored by Orange Amps was confidently eyeing his first podium of the year in the British Rally Championship.

However, despite a strong start in their vibrant Orange Amps Hyundai, the duo faced an unexpected obstacle on the Langton Mill stage, a favourite amongst rally fans.

Spectators watched in disappointment as the rally team were forced to stop due to a puncture.

Their unscheduled halt led to a slip-up in their ranking.

Despite this, the persevering pair managed to claw back to seventh place, rounding off the first test day.

The following morning compounded their woes further when the car's power steering stopped working after the opening test of the day.

With the car unmanageable, the pair were forced to pull over, their golden opportunity at a sound finish now lost.

Williams expressed his disappointment, saying: "It’s never easy retiring from an event, it's pretty soul destroying.

"We thought we could pick up a good result here.

"Our pace would have been ok and I think a second or third place in the British Championship and podium on the National Tarmac series might have been on the cards – but that’s if, buts and maybe’s now."

He, however, remained hopeful.

"We have a long break ahead of us which is good as we can have some down time and re-prep the car ready to go again in August," he said.

"I do want to say a big thank you to everyone who supported me on the event – it was great to have the backing."

Williams also noted the tightened competition, with other racers also failing to score.

"The only consolation to the weekend is that a few others retired – which has made the championship quite tight on the points – which is going to make the title fight great to watch for the fans in the second half of the year," he said.

Fans of the rally driver should mark their calendars, as the next round of the Probite British Rally Championship, the Grampian Forest Rally, takes place August 9-10, not far from Aberdeen, Scotland.

Williams extends his thanks to his partners and is always open for new partnerships and prospective partners can reach out at jameswilliamsrallying@gmail.com.