Twickenham businessman Tony Jardine was forced to nurse a crippled car home to finish the Tempest Rally in Aldershot last weekend.

Partnered by journalist Tom Cary, Castrol/ProSpeed driver Jardine, a Sky Sports pundit, felt the shaft go during Special Stage Six on Saturday.

“We had been warned that the military test ground stage would be rough and full of pot holes, but we didn’t realise how bad it could be as it just snapped the drive shaft,” said Jardine.

“We had to pull off the track for a short while as we struggled for gears and then got going again propelled by just one drive shaft. We had to nurse and persuade the car to the finish line for the rest of the afternoon. It was a close call.”

The pair take part in Rally Scotland, the final round of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge, from November 16 to 18.