12:53pm Thursday 2nd September 2010
RALLY fans were out in force last weekend for the Penrith based Stobart Rail Pendragon Stages that utilised the closed roads of the Warcop Military Ranges and Lowther Park.
It was an action-packed day with the drama even extending beyond the finishing ramp in Penrith town centre.
Scots crew Bob Grant and Peter Carstairs were initially declared the winners but the Subaru Impreza crew were later demoted to second place.
A timing error was corrected in favour of Welshman Hugh Hunter and his co-driver Andy Marchbank handing the win to the Ford Focus WRC crew.
The day had started in dramatic fashion when pre-rally favourite Penrith’s Paul Bird and co-driver Kirsty Riddick took a wrong slot at a split junction in their Focus WRC on the opening Warcop test.
Lancaster’s Darren Atkinson and Phil Sandham crashed their Escort Mk2 out on the same stage whilst mechanical problems sidelined the Vauxhall Astra of Kendal’s Paul Miller and Morecambe’s Katy Mashiter.
The retirement list grew as the rally moved to Lowther as Penrith’s Ken Jackson went out as a result of his Escort Mk2 breaking a shaft.
Ulverston’s John Hislop and Peter Leary were also out as their Vauxhall Corsa suffered gearbox failure.
More drama followed once the surviving crews returned to Warcop with the Escorts of Kendal’s Dave Thwaites and Flookburgh’s Trevor Smith going out.
They were soon to be followed by the similar car Penrith’s Marcus Noble and Helen Hall who broke a half shaft landing heavily after a jump.
It was left to Carnforth’s Ian Joel to uphold South Lakeland pride as the Escort Cosworth pilot, co-driven by Graeme Wood, finished sixth overall and collected the awards for finishing third in Class 5.
Their day wasn’t without drama either as a first stage puncture gave them the worst possible start leaving them in 60th place.
They then spent the day working their way up the leaderboard but after breaking a driveshaft on the penultimate stage they were relieved just to finish!
Morecambe’s Neil Mashiter and his co-driver Jane Clark from Windermere finished 36th in an Escort Mk2, two places ahead of the Suzuki Swift of Carnforth’s Dave Head.
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