Pirtek LWR Rally Team driver, Michael Guest, has had a disappointing end to the opening Heat of the 2008 Australian Rally Championship.

Driving a Subaru Impreza WRX STI in the QUIT Forest Rally near Busselton, south of Perth, Guest and co-driver, David Green, were comfortably in second place after seven of the day’s ten stages, but rolled out of the event on the 24km eighth stage.

Neither Guest or Green were injured in the accident, but the Pirtek LWR Rally Team mechanics will have a long night ahead of them if they are to repair the car in time for the second Heat, which starts later tonight.

Guest had opened his campaign on the tarmac Super Special Stage on the Busselton foreshore last night, finishing the two stages in fourth place.

Once the rally ventured into the forests, near Nannup, this morning, the Newcastle driver upped the pace and moved into second place.

But his hopes for a podium place ended abruptly.

“Obviously it’s a very disappointing way to end the day,” Guest admitted. “I was getting more and more happy with the car as the day wore on, and was driving well within myself.

“It wasn’t to be though, and sometimes that’s rallying,” he added.

Guest’s retirement ensured that reigning Australian Champion, Simon Evans, took a comfortable victory over team-mate Neal Bates. Local hot shot Alex Stone took third place in a Subaru.

The second Heat of the QUIT Forest Rally gets under way tomorrow morning, with crews facing a further ten stages and 115km of stages before the finish.