CROFT Circuit hosted the final round of the MSA British Rallycross Championship and the Procters Coaches British Rallycross Grand Prix last weekend, when a bumper crowd witnessed two days of action-packed racing which provided mixed emotions for local competitors.

Making history by becoming the first female to win a round of the MSA SuperNational Championship outright, Northallerton 19-year-old Paige Bellerby saw off a strong A final field to take a start-to-finish victory in her Sayers Tankers and Fuchs Titan Race-backed Lotus Exige.

The success made up for the disappointment of 17-year-old sibling Drew, who had looked on course to win the MSA Junior Swift title following a dominant display which saw her win all three heats and claim two important bonus points. However, in the all-important final, she had to settle for second place and missed out on the title for a second successive year. Stockton driver Jennie Hawkes drove well to finish fourth in the final and clinch third in the championship.

The third member of the Bellerby family in action was dad Dave, who put in a late entry in the RX150 class and, despite a misfire, brought the buggy home in third place in a very strong class which included top Norwegian driver Andreas Bakkerud.

Leeming ace Kevin Procter was the star of the show in the MSA SuperCar class when he romped to three heat wins in his Coach2.com-backed Ford Fiesta WRC. He followed up with a superb victory in the A final to claim third place in the championship despite only contesting half the rounds.

Also in the SuperCar class was Barnard Castle driver Mark Watson in his trusty Mend-A-Hose-sponsored Citroen Xsara WRC and he delighted his local fans with a battling sixth place in Saturday’s A final.

Ferryhill’s David Bell celebrated winning the BMW Mini title for a second successive year by finishing second in Saturday’s race, while Stockton’s Marty Hawkes continued his recovery from serious injury earlier in the season with a hard-earned fifth in the same race in his Hawkes Fire-backed car. Keeping it in the family was brother Andrew, who won the Suzuki Swift B final before being forced out of the A final later in the day.

Sixteen-year-old Chester-le-Street driver Connor Hook was impressive in the Hot Hatch class in his 1300cc Ford Ka, claiming fifth in the final, but Brompton’s Darren Grimston was forced out of the SuperNational B final when leading thanks to a broken driveshaft on his Vauxhall Nova.

Castleton rally driver Ryan Champion was making his first rallycross appearance in eight seasons. The former Mitsubishi works test driver showed up well in the RX150 heats, but a mechanical problem put him out at the start of the final.

On Sunday, Procter found the going a little tougher and a damaged intercooler in the second set of heats threatened his progress. Swift work by the ATM team saw the problem rectified and, although it meant he had to start in the B final, Procter was well in command with a lap to go when the race was red-flagged.

In the restart, Procter was again leading heading into the last lap, only for the 550bhp car to suddenly slow with an engine problem, meaning he had to retire.

Watson also couldn’t progress from the B final when the transmission broke on his Citroen.

Paige Bellerby continued her form from the previous day and was hoping to claim honours for the top two-wheel drive car following another good showing in the heats. But her car stopped on the dummy grid and, despite the best efforts of the marshals to bump-start the 270bhp missile, it proved fruitless and she had to sit out the B final.

Sister Drew had put the previous day’s disappointment behind her and had stepped up to a more powerful 1600cc Suzuki Swift. Belying her lack of experience in the car, she won the D final to progress to the C final and, despite some contact from other drivers, the teenager brought the car home to an impressive ninth place.

In the RX150s, Bakkerud romped to victory as Bellerby and Champion scrapped it out for second place. The runner-up spot went to Bellerby, with Champion third following a stoppage which required a re-start.

In the Ripla Retro Rallycross Challenge, there was plenty of silverware for the locals, who were in action in an array of historic machines. Leading the way was Darren Grimston, who took the win in the Electrocare-backed 1600cc Nova, with Stokesley driver Stewart Bowes overcoming a stream of problems in his Mini to clinch second in class. Great Broughton’s Terry Maynard took third place in his Triumph TR8 and was followed home by son Neil in a similar car.

NORTHALLERTON enduro rider Robbie Wallace competed last weekend on his Motoconnection and Putoline-backed Husqvarna 125 in the 11th and final round of the North-East Enduro XC Championship at Boltby Forest, near Thirsk.

Wallace headed the clubman’s class and set off on the first of four laps of the 20-mile course. The timed sections on the first lap were quite tight and lap two tested the riders' mettle as bogs began to appear, but Wallace managed to stay on time as well as setting a good special test time.

Wallace set off on lap three knowing that, with a reduced allotted time, it would be difficult to stay on time. As the day grew hotter, Wallace dug in to come through well, but dropped four minutes.

Setting out on the final lap, a substantial number of riders retired due to exhaustion. Wallace pressed on and, after a flat-out run at a bog, he ploughed through, only to crash over the handlebars over the next rise. Undeterred, he pressed on to the finish, dropping no more time to finish first in the clubman section and first 125. This sealed the win in the Clubman E1 125 section of the championship.