"Nobody remembers second place," reflected Forest rally driver Nik Elsmore after ending up in a ditch during the latest round of the Mobil 1 British Rally Championship.
Racing over 15 special tarmac stages near Grantham in Lincolnshire, Nik lost five and a half minutes.
The crash happened on stage six and at the time Nik was leading the Production Cup category and was only seven seconds from leading the entire event.
"I was driving to the limit and made an unfortunate error," he said.
Undaunted, Nik and his co-driver, Jason Brown, made a major impression on the remaining stages. They won three outright and finished consistently in the top five fastest stage times.
Nik is bidding to win The Roger Clark Award which would guarantee financial backing for next season.
The next rally in the championship series is on the Isle of Man in September and Nik believes he has the car and the team to clinch one of the top spots.
"The Grantham performance easily outshone my past achievements and I am now keen to take it one step further. I feel very comfortable with the car and pace, still knowing I have more in reserve," he said.
"I was very disappointed to lose the chance of my first podium finish, but I know that to win races you must be prepared to take risks. Nobody remembers second place."