Clive Wheeler endured huge disappointment while contesting the Polo Challenge world finals in Gran Canaria.

The Albourne driver was among the cream of Volkswagen's European junior rally talent who were at the event and bidding for a dream prize-drive in the World Rally Championship.

The top three finishers in the UK's Castrol Polo Challenge were present but British champion Wheeler and his Hurstpierpoint-based co-driver Ken Bartram crashed out of the top six in the closing stages.

The accident came on the second, after-dark running of the Los Corralillos-Gueriete test, stage ten.

Wheeler said: "It happened on a hairpin. I started to lose the back end of the car, over-corrected slightly and hit the rocks front-on."

The damage appeared slight and they limped their Rycliff-backed car to the end of the stage, where further inspection revealed a damaged driveshaft.

Wheeler added: "It was a big disappointment, but that's the way things go sometimes in rallying."

The duo had looked set for a top-six result.