Justin Dale's 2003 Wales Rally GB finished even before the World Rally Championship event roared into action on Thursday.
The 32-year-old Chilbolton driver began the season driving a "privateer" Hyundai Accent but the recent withdrawal of the Korean's "factory" World Rally Championship campaign, although a completely different team, has had a knock-on effect.
Justin said in Cardiff: "We put in an entry for a Subaru after our Hyundai drive fizzled out but just ran out of time trying to organise the Impreza drive and we officially withdrew our entry. It's a great shame - I was really disappointed to miss our 'home' WRC event."
The Wales Rally and the world title was taken by Norway's Petter Solberg and his Welsh co-driver Phil Mills in a Subaru.
He won by the narrow margin of 43.66 seconds to achieve a one-point victory over Citroen driver Sebastian Loeb in the world championship, with Reading's Richard Burns, who was ruled out of the Welsh event through illness, taking fourth place in the world standings.
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