LOCAL competitors descended in volume on Carlisle last weekend for round five of the Ravenol BTRDA Rally Championship, with Kielder Forest the venue for the fast and dusty stages.

Although only finishing fifth, Ripon’s Charlie Payne and Welsh co-driver Carl Williamson extended their lead at the head of the title race in their Simpson-backed Ford Fiesta WRC as none of the four crews in front of them were registered for championship points.

It meant a second maximum of the year for Payne, who has scored well in every round so far, although with three rounds to go, the dropped scores factor will come into the equation, so he’s not certain of the title just yet.

One crew still trying to deny him are Hamsterley’s Stephen Petch and Crook co-driver Michael Wilkinson, who were again in action in their WD-40-backed and SGP Motorsport-prepared Ford Fiesta R5+. The former runners-up in the series encountered problems during the morning before bouncing back to finish sixth, just behind Payne.

Next up was Stanley co-driver Jack Morton, who guided Thomas Preston to seventh overall in their Skoda Fabia R5, and getting back to form after a disastrous start to the season was Ripon’s Matthew Robinson and York co-driver Graham Wilcock, who claimed 21st overall and a class win in their historic-specification Fiat 131S.

Scorton driver Steve Petch and co-driver John Richardson, from Exelby, ended up 24th overall and 12th in class in their SG Petch-backed Ford Fiesta S2000, one place ahead of Pickhill’s Mick Johnson, who was co-driving for youngster Daniel Hiorns in their Subaru Impreza.

Ripon pair Andrew Robinson and Kevin Wilson claimed 48th overall and fourth in class in their Robinson Pumpcrete-sponsored Ford Escort Mk2, while South Kilvington’s Nick Kitching and co-driver Andrew Trollope finished 53rd overall and third in class in their Ford RS2000.

Thirlby ace Ben Cree, co-driven by Durham’s Andy Brown, claimed third in class in the Peugeot 205 en route to 56th overall, four places ahead of Potto driver Keith Davison and Ripon’s Henry Richardson, who took second in class in their Hillman Avenger. Pickhill’s Bruce Lindsay guided John Hepworth to 66th overall and fifth in class in their Ford Escort Mk2, but there was disappointment for three fancied crews who didn’t make it to the finish.

Thirsk star Mat Smith, co-driven by father-in-law Derek Cornforth, from Sutton Bank, was going well until he lost a wheel on SS4 in his F&D Cornforth-backed 1400cc Proton Satria, while another of the Pickhill team, Chris Pattison, only got as far as SS3 in the Ford Escort he was sharing with Andy Gibson before clutch problems intervened. Cleveland’s Andy Davison and Tom Murphy retired their Talbot Sunbeam after going off on the first stage.

THE Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship has been issued a licence to thrill at Croft Circuit this weekend and local fans are in for even more of a treat than usual this year as Yorkshireman Sam Tordoff leads the way.

Delivering an unrivalled blend of high-octane entertainment and close duels, the BTCC is Britain’s biggest and best car race series and its annual trip to North Yorkshire is invariably a popular affair.

Unpredictability has always been one of the buzzwords of the BTCC and, with nine different winners from the opening 12 races of the 2016 campaign, the action is currently hotter than ever, with fast and furious scraps between some of the finest tin-top protagonists on the planet.

With no fewer than five former champions in the 32-strong field, including Honda duo Matt Neal and Gordon Shedden, Ford ace Andrew Jordan and Subaru pairing Colin Turkington and Jason Plato, the calibre of competition is fiendishly high.

But Tordoff is outpacing them all. The Team JCT600 with GardX driver enjoyed a stellar weekend last time out, with a victory and two further podium finishes vaulting him to the top of the title chase for the first time in his BTCC career.

With his BMW 125i M Sport boasting a formidable recent record at Croft, the 27-year-old Leeds-based star is heading to his home circuit riding the crest of a wave.

The field also includes Huddersfield’s Daniel Lloyd, who grabbed the headlines with a front row qualifying performance in only his third BTCC appearance, and Kelvin Fletcher, whose day job sees him assuming the role of Andy Sugden on the Emmerdale set.

Croft’s open paddock policy and busy pit-lane walkabout on Sunday morning will allow fans to get up close to the action and snatch a selfie or two with the stars of the show, while a plethora of support series from the Renault UK Clio Cup and Porsche Carrera Cup GB to the F4 British Championship, Ginetta Junior Championship and Ginetta GT5 Challenge will ensure non-stop thrills and spills all weekend.

Tickets are available at the gate priced £14 for tomorrow and £28 for Sunday, with weekend passes costing £36. Accompanied children aged 15 and under are admitted free of charge. Race day grandstand seats cost an additional £8 and are selling fast. For further information, visit croftcircuit.co.uk or call 01325 721815.

REDCAR SG Petch Bears speedway team raced the return leg of their Premier League match against Somerset Rebels on Thursday last week and were narrowly beaten in a repeat of the result in the away leg.

Bears captain Lasse Bjerre had an impressive win in heat one, but the Rebels bounced back with a 5-1 in heat two and repeated the feat in the third heat after Bears rider Jonas B Andersen fell while challenging for the lead.

The points were split in the next two heats before Bjerre won heat six with team-mate Jacob Buckhave, in his last match for the Bears, in third place to score a 4-2. Rebels rider Paul Starke won heat seven in the fastest race of the match after Bears rider Bellego retired with a mechanical problem, meaning the scoreline at the halfway stage was 19-29 to the visitors.

Bears then fought back with some excellent rides by Andersen and Hugh Skidmore to take maximum points and the Bears were just a point down on their rivals going into the final heat. But Rebels rider Grajczonek got a blistering start from the tapes and the Bears pairing of Skidmore and Bjerre could not catch him. They finished second and third, meaning that it finished Bears 46-47 Rebels.

Buckhave, who enjoyed a rousing send-off, will be replaced by German rider Tobias Busch, who will make his debut on Thursday at the away match in Sheffield, with the return home match the following evening.