THERE was mixed success for Hampshire crews in last weekend's Network Q Rally GB with works driver Justin Dale crashing out early in the event but a personal best for Fareham co-driver Alyson Marlow.

Dale was a last-minute replacement for the injured Alister McRae in the Mitsubishi team but his efforts were shortlived when the Stockbridge driver rolled his Evo VII on only the second of 16 special stages.

Although devastated by his early retirement Justin and co-driver Andrew Bargery have ambitious plans for the world rally Championship next year.

However there was success for Alyson, co-driving for the Canadian rally champion Pat Richard. The pair finished a creditable 36th overall despite a catalogue of mechanical woes on their Subaru Impreza.

"We had one problem after another, from a blown turbo to losing the brakes on three long stages. The gearbox broke and we also damaged a wheel hub,'' said Alyson.

"When everything was working well we were as fast as the top Group N cars in our class but the problems cost us so much time on the stages we dropped out of the top 30.''

But Alyson was delighted to have reached the finish of the rally in which more than 40 crews, including world champion Marcus Gronholm, failed to reach the end.

"It was certainly a tough three days with some stages as long as 54km,'' she said. "Getting to the end of this event is a major achievement.''

Sony Computer Entertainment has signed a sponsorship deal to help raise the profile of Justin Dale next year. It will enable British Championship runner-up Dale to tackle up to eight rounds of the World Rally Championship in preparation for an assault on the full championship.

The news came as the games giant prepares to launch the only officially licensed FIA World Rally Championship game for PlayStation 2, WRCII Extreme.

With the driver merry-go-round already in full swing, the Network Rally will present the 31-year-old with the perfect opportunity to prove his worth as a future British hope in the World Rally Championship.

Sony Computer Entertainment's sponsorship manager Carl Christopher said: "In Justin, we feel we have a fantastic opportunity to get involved at the grass roots level in the sport. We wanted to back a driver with the potential to become an ambassador for future rally talent in the UK."