Last updated 19:51, Thursday, 23 October 2008

AFTER losing the last two rounds of the championship, the Lindisfarne and the Tour of Hamsterley, the SG Petch ANECCC Stage Rally Championship returned to Otterburn for the Keith Knox Stages Rally.

The day started dry and got gradually damper to finish with heavy rain on the last stage which made tyre choice very difficult with many claiming they were on the wrong tyres.

Quickest out of the starting blocks were current championship leaders Richard and Edwin Cook (Vauxhall Astra) who were lying third overall at first service after two stages, Barry and Michael Lindsay (Peugeot 106) were again confounding everyone by having the little 1600cc car in fifth overall, with William Jarman/Mark Fisher (Escort Cosworth) third registered competitor in 15th, but they were suffering from a slipping clutch.

Kev Monaghan/Chris Purvis (Vauxhall Corsa) had already been lost to a broken drive shaft.

On the fourth stage the Cooks retired when the right front wheel studs sheared. Fortunately Richard was able to stop the car without any further damage and when retrieving the wheel from a nearby stream the broken studs and wheel nuts were found under it.

This was a down-to-earth rally for Edwin after being one of the star personalities on the Colin McRae Rally where he co-drove Louise Aitkin-Walker.

By third service the Lindsays had moved up to fourth overall, where they stayed until the finish to gain their first maximum points of the year.

Barry reported that the last stage was exceptionally tricky when the cut slicks they had used all day had become slicks, just when they needed the tread the most.

Jarman/Fisher turned off the anti-lag system on their Cosworth to help preserve the clutch, which it seemed to do as they got second-place points for their ninth overall finish.

Final points scorers were Sian Beaty/Dave Antrobus (Ford Ka). Dave was on his second event in the co-driver’s seat, so he must have impressed on his first outing on the Pendragon Stages.

There were just 36 finishers on the Keith Knox event but it was worse on the Cheviot National Rally with just 16 cars finishing, headed by Andy Fenwick/Lee Tindall in a Skoda WRC.

Geoff Harkness took his Corsa to 13th but was not registered for the ANECC while Brett Mitton was another retirement in his Vauxhall-engined Escort.

The Cooks’ retirement has closed things up at the top of the championship, where their lead over Jarman/Fisher is down to 10 points.

Will Jarman’s four-wheel-drive Cosworth give him the advantage in the SG Petch ANECC Stage Rally Championship?

The Lindsays are now third, one point behind Jarman/Fisher, but their dislike of gravel might mean their hopes are over. Marcus Noble/Helen Hall’s non-appearance on Otterburn means they have slipped to fourth.

Regs for the Malton Forest Rally on November 2 are now available on the club’s website.