When Katsu Taguchi crashed in Stage 2 at China Rally, first to stop at the scene was team-mate Gaurav Gill and co-driver Glenn MacNeall. Between them they organised following drivers to get help as at the time, Chris Murphy’s injuries appeared serious.

When Gill and MacNeall resumed the event they really only had to score 4 more points to win the 2010 Asia Pacific Rally Championship.

That plan went horribly wrong on Stage 6 when they became another victim of the concrete roads. Unlike tarmac, concrete roads have a distinctive and sharp edge that can be anything from zero to 20 centimetres high and putting a wheel off in the wrong place can result in disastrous results, just ask Gaurav Gill.

Cutting a left-hand corner just a little too fine resulted in the front wheel going over the edge, wrenching the steering wheel violently and pitching the car off the road in the opposite direction. The result was a wild ride with a miracle finish. How the MRF Mitsubishi Lancer didn’t end up in the river is anyone’s guess.

Gill did have a suspected broken thumb from the accident and it was decided that the team would not re-enter on the 2nd day, thus handing the championship win to Katsu Taguchi and the co-drivers award to Glen MacNeall.