LEEMING rally driver Kevin Procter just missed out on victory when he had to settle for second place on last Saturday’s Neil Howard Stages at Oulton Park, in Cheshire.

With Witton Gilbert co-driver Derrick Fawcett alongside him in the Procter’s Luxury Coaches and Corner House Hotel-backed Subaru Impreza, Procter made a great start on the opening round of the Motorsport News MSVR Circuit Rally Challenge. The pairing were second fastest on the opening stage before taking advantage of the wet conditions to move into the lead on SS2.

There they stayed until a big spin dropped them half a minute on SS5, but Procter fought back to regain the lead for the next two stages. But a broken exhaust manifold slowed them for the final three stages, meaning they finished second, just 11 seconds behind the winners.

Darlington precision driver Paul Swift had to overcome some minor technical problems as well as the adverse weather conditions to claim a class victory and fifth place overall in the event. Having only secured an entry the previous Thursday, it meant a last-minute rush for the Jim Bean Motorsport-prepared, PSI Global UK, Smith and Allan Classic Oils and Smart IFA-backed Ford Escort Mk2 team.

With wife Jessica in the co-driver’s seat, Swift encountered a minor brake problem on the opening stage, but managed to stop the clocks eighth fastest. He dropped to tenth on SS2 before a superb drive on the next three stages saw him elevated to fifth overall and leading his class. A puncture on SS5 threatened their progress, but it dropped them only one place as they lost about ten seconds.

As conditions dried out, Swift started his climb back into contention. Despite a broken windscreen caused by an errant stone thrown up from a car they were following and the battery expiring on the final stage in darkness, the pair crossed the finish ramp fifth overall to take the Class D1 victory.

Tenth place went to Northallerton duo Graeme Bell and Russ Radford in their Clarion Homes-sponsored Ford Escort RS2500, while Bedale driver Joe Cunningham and co-driver Marc Fowler were out in their Coach2.com and Swift Signs-sponsored 1400cc Vauxhall Corsa. The pair finished 16th overall and took an easy class win for good measure.

Sinderby father and daughter Bill and Katy Bates were in action in their Tanfield Engineering-backed Lotus Exige and, despite clouting the scenery on one of the opening stages, they secured a solid 56th place overall out of the 89 starters.

CROFT Circuit is the venue for a feast of flat-out, mud-slinging action on Sunday as some of the most talented drivers in Europe speed into the popular North Yorkshire venue for the eagerly-anticipated finale to the 2015 Autosport International BTRDA National Rallycross Championship.

Rallycross is a captivating blend of circuit racing and rallying, and a monster field of almost 80 flame-spitting cars will take to the asphalt and gravel at Croft for more than 40 races over the course of the weekend.

A high-class field has been assembled for the Darlington and District Motor Club-organised event, which features leading European drivers as well as some of the top home-grown stars, including a number of local heroes.

No fewer than 11 champions will be in action, with Barnard Castle hotelier "Mad" Mark Watson, three times a British Open Rallycross champion, a sure-fire crowd-pleaser behind the wheel of his striking 550bhp Citroën Xsara T16 Supercar.

Other anticipated front-runners will be former European and Belgian Touring Car champion Jos Sterkens, erstwhile World Hot Rod champion Gary Pusey and reigning BTRDA title-holders Simon Horton, Kieran Curran and Jeff Hope-Davies.

Add into the mix recently-crowned 2015 champions David Bell, from Ferryhill, and Polish driver Tomasz Wielgosz, the ultra-experienced Mark Flaherty and 2014 British Super 1600 champion Jack Thorne making his debut in a Ford Focus T16, and all the ingredients are firmly in place for a spectacular day of high-octane entertainment.

Local drivers are well represented across the various SuperModified classes, with Newcastle trio Michael Boak (Audi TT), Brian Jukes (Audi TT) and Phil Chicken (Citroën C2 S1600) taking on Northallerton’s Larry Carter and fellow Suzuki Swift Sport driver Ashley Hawkes, from Stockton.

In the Production class, local fans will be rooting for ex-Stockhatch champion Martin Peters (Ingleby Barwick), John Gaskin (Chop Gate) and Connor Hook (Chester le Street), while Stokesley’s Ian Horn will campaign his trusty Vauxhall Nova alongside fellow Teessider Jordan Bowes (1400cc Mini) in the Historic races. Father and daughter Marty and Jennie Hawkes, from Stockton, will duel it out in BMW Minis.

With many titles still up for grabs and double points on offer, the action will get underway at 9am on Sunday. Practice will be followed immediately by the first of three heats before the all-important finals in the afternoon. Adult admission costs £10, with accompanied children aged 15 and under admitted free. For more information, visit croftcircuit.co.uk or call 01325 721815.