HAVING missed last year’s event following his hat-trick of 2011, 2012 and 2013, Ripon driver Charlie Payne defied the tricky conditions to record his ninth victory on last Sunday’s Able UK/Robinson Planing Services Riponian Rally.

With joint organisers Whitby & DMC along with the traditional Ripon MSC stalwarts, the event was saved from extinction and despite only 60 cars taking to the Thirsk Auction Mart start on a cool but clear morning, the event delivered its usual share of drama in the fast forests around Thirsk and Helmsley.

The opening test in a slippery Wass saw Payne grab an early lead which he was never to relinquish as he and Tyneside co-driver Andrew Roughead stopped the clocks in their Ford Fiesta three seconds faster than last year’s winners, Peter Stephenson from Kepwick and Northallerton co-driver Ian Windress in their Able UK-backed Ford Focus WRC.

Payne added another second to his advantage in College Moor before doing likewise in the short and slippery Pry Rigg test and following the twisty and bumpy Waterloo stage, he arrived at the remote service eight seconds to the good over Stephenson with regular Lancastrian visitors Ian Joel and Graeme Wood (Ford Escort Cosworth) a further five seconds back in third.

Into the final three stages of the opening loop of Riccal Dale, Roppa and Boltby, Payne rammed home his superior knowledge of the little used Yorkshire forests to arrive back at the Thirsk service halt with a 19 second lead over Stephenson with Joel holding sway in third 11 seconds further back. Last year’s runners-up, Matthew Robinson from Ripon and co-driver Sam Collis were best of the two wheel drive brigade in fourth with their Ford Escort Mk2 a further minute back with Andy Rowe/Cat Lund (Mitsubishi) in fifth. Rounding out the top six were Lealholm driver Nick Cook with Castleton’s Jemma Champion alongside in their Ford Escort Mk1.

As the crews set out for the second loop of stages, the forecast sleet and snow started falling and up on the Moors, it made the conditions even trickier for the crews. Not that it bothered Payne as he continued his relentless charge at the front, increasing his lead to 45 seconds after SS10 in Pry Rigg. Sadly, that stage saw the demise of event sponsor Stephenson who went out with a throttle sensor problem.

With a lead of nearly a minute, Payne overcame the snow in Riccal Dale and Roppa and the fog in Boltby to arrive back at the Thirsk finish over two minutes ahead of Robinson, who had clawed his way ahead of Joel to claim runner-up spot for the second year in succession. Joel, who dropped a minute in the final Boltby test, completed the podium ahead of Rowe with Cook and Champion claiming a superb fifth overall and class win.

The giant killing act of Thirsk’s BTRDA 1400 Champion Mat Smith came about yet again when he and Barnard Castle co-driver Giles Dykes brought their F&D Cornforth-backed Proton Satria home to sixth overall and first in class, five seconds ahead of Morton on Swale driver Charlie Taylor and Kirkbymoorside’s Alan Ward who claimed second in class in their CTMS-sponsored Ford Escort Mk2.

Pickhill’s Chris Pattison guided Andy Gibson to 12th overall and third in class in their Ford Escort Mk2 with Ben Cree from Thirlby and Boltby co-driver Richard Shores finishing 14th overall and second in class in their Peugeot 205. Bishop Auckland brothers Dan and Matt Thompson had a great run in their ALM-backed 1400cc Peugeot 205 to claim 18th overall and second in class, just beating the Thirsk duo of Amanda Cornforth-Smith and dad Derek in their 1400cc Ford Ka. It was Amanda’s best run in her local forests for a while, claiming a superb 23rd overall despite the treacherous conditions.

Pickhill co-driver Kari Bates guided Yorkshireman Graham Haigh to 24th overall and seventh in class in their Ford Escort Mk2, two places ahead of Topcliffe driver Nick Kitching and Ben Clarke who also took seventh in class in their historic-specification Ford Escort RS2000.

Conditions suited Redcar’s Christopher Roe and co-driver Mark Whitehouse who brought their 1400cc Vauxhall Nova home to 28th overall and fourth in class whilst an off in the second Roppa stage meant Thirkleby driver Rob Herrington and Thirsk co-driver Charlotte Banner slipped to 32nd overall and fourth in class in their Ford Escort.

John Tillett from Northallerton and Thirsk co-driver Guy Kirby also encountered a problem in Roppa 2 and ended up in 33rd overall and tenth in class in their Ford Escort, just ahead of Moulton driver Simon Cole and Mickleton co-driver Joe Hutchinson who took 34th overall and fifth in class in their BMW 325.

Mickleton co-driver Tony Walker guided Northallerton’s Larry Carter to 39th overall and fifth in class despite a time consuming off in Roppa in their Yorkshire Van Lease-backed Peugeot 206 whilst the Ripon duo of Graeme Powell and Mark Casey battled to 41st overall and sixth in class in their Ford Escort out of the 44 finishers.

Included amongst the retirements were Ripon pair Andrew Robinson and Kevin Bardon who went out in their Ford Escort on SS2 whereas Bedale’s Shaun Wilson and Northallerton co-driver Chris Longster lasted one stage further in their Subaru. The Durham duo of Michael Davison and Chris Dodds retired their Proton in service whilst youngsters Oli Bell from York and Sinderby co-driver Katy Bates rolled their Nissan Micra at the end of the first Boltby run to end their rally.