Despite dropping out of title contention at the last round in Australia, he attempted to regain his confidence by battling with Richard Burns for overall victory.

On stage 6 at Millbrook, Burns's team-mate, defending champion Tommi Mäkinen, a contender for the title with Carlos Sainz, struck a concrete block, causing his right rear wheel to detach.

Mäkinen had slid off the road due to an oil patch left by an Hillman Imp racing in a separate historic event.

[2] His Mitsubishi Lancer Evo V limped on three wheels for another few kilometres before the local police pulled him over, retiring him from the event and supposedly ending his title hopes.

Fittingly, it was also Burns' final event in a Mitsubishi, he'd signed for Subaru for 1999 to partner Juha Kankkunen who replaced the Ford-bound McRae.