WHEN the Junior World Rally circus reaches Corsica later this week, Guy Wilks' championship hopes will hang by a thread.

If Daniel Sordo takes maximum points at the end of the penultimate round, Darlington's Wilks will see his title bid thwarted for the second consecutive year.

That the odds are against the Suzuki driver, tipped as a future British number one, is down more to luck than design - bad luck that is.

Wilks, who shares top spot with Citroen's Sordo at present, won't be in France. JWRC bosses introduced an eighth non-European qualifying round in the shape of the Rally of Mexico, meaning drivers, who only score from seven events, had to nominate a race to miss.

Suzuki opted for Corsica and now with just the Rally Catalunya left after this week, Wilks will be hoping the Gods smile on him and he has at least a fighting chance of taking the crown in Spain.

"Anything is possible but it's in Daniel's hands as opposed to mine at the moment," said Wilks, before heading off for some testing in Spain.

"If he wins that's it. Anything other than a win and it's still game on until the finish line in Spain.

"I need a little bit of luck but at the same time there's not a great deal I can do. It's out of my hands and I have no control over it at the moment. As soon as we get to Spain then we will know whether it's all over or game on."

Wilks has one victory to his credit this season (Mexico), but consistent finishes have seen him notch 35 points so far.

Sordo, on the other hand, has failed to score in one event and opted not to contest Mexico.

However, three victories out of the last four rallies have seen him pull level with the Briton as the season reaches its climax.

Wilks, though, believes he has the beating of his Spanish rival when it comes to out and out ability

"The only result Daniel went out and got, by that I mean he drove well from start to finish, was in Germany," he said.

"He won in Finland but I had a puncture on the very first stage and was out of it after losing six minutes. (Then leader) Kris Meeke had an off and he was there to pick up the pieces.

"In Sardinia he just hung around and it landed in his lap.

"He showed pace but not from the off. He wasn't one of those putting his neck on the line, going out there and competing hard."

Wilks certainly cannot be accused of that and believes given a straight race it would almost be a no-contest.

"If we had a level playing field I think we would come out on top, definitely on gravel, although it might be closer on tarmac," he said.

"That is quite a big thing to say because he has just finished as Spanish tarmac champion.

"He has a good team and a good car and all the right things around him but other people's misfortune has played into his hands."

While Wilks would like to have that trophy in his cabinet at the end of the year, he admits it's not the be all and end all.

"I want it. I wanted it last year. It's getting a bit frustrating getting to the same point two years in a row, but at the same time it's not my biggest ambition in life," Wilks said.

"My biggest ambition is the one at the top, the World Championship.

"The Junior World Championship, yes, it's a means of getting there, but at the same time, when you speak to other team managers, having the JWRC title on your CV is not always the most important thing."

Wilks is coy when it comes to whether this will be his last season in the junior ranks - an approach from a WRC team may present a quandary - but, if it's not, his desire to win will be as strong as ever.

"I have learned again this year that there are bits we could and have should have improved on," he said.

"Next year, the attitude I will have when it comes to the Junior World Championship will be to go out and not only try and win the championship but to try and win every rally," he said.

"That has got to be the way. We are really dominant force.

"When you go to rallies every other competitor talks about us. Our name is always mentioned whether it's gravel or tarmac.

"Some people it's just gravel, some it's just tarmac. It's a really good situation to be in when people feel threatened by myself and Phil (Pugh, co-driver), the car and team on any surface."

Published: 17/10/2005