Motorsport By Tony Brunskil

Last updated 05:41, Friday, 05 September 2008

THE Stobart Rail Pendragon Stages Rally was again a great success with 115 cars entered which tackled stages in the fast and the furious Warcop and Lowther Park stages.

Winning smile: Boyzone star Shayne Lynch poses for pictures with his fans after helping William Stobart to victory

Sadly at neither venue were spectators allowed due to Army restrictions at Warcop and waterlogged parking at Lowther.

However, with thanks to Eden and County councils plus the people of Penrith there was a start ramp outside the George Hotel in the centre of town where enthusiasts gathered in great numbers to see the rally stars.

This year the occasion was glamorised by the appearance of Shayne Lynch, the Boyzone star, who was co-driving William Stobart in a Stobart Motorsport Ford Focus World Rally Car which led the rally off.

It was a lead the pair never lost as they won by over a minute which on a short, one-day event is one heck of a margin.

On one of the rare sunny days, the action was intense with several cars becoming statistics in the attrition rate as the crews fought for the top places but it was local rally ace, Dougi Hall from Crackenthorpe who was the terrier snapping at Stobart's heels in a much lesser powered Mitsubishi to claim a well deserved second place with Richard Cleasby co-driving.

An evocative classic rally car, the Metro 6R4 of John Stone and Lee Carter completed the podium just squeezing out the Escort Cossie of Kirkby Lonsdale Motor Club stalwart, Ian Joel who with co-driver Graeme Wood was fourth.

Among other local crews, Penrith's Marcus Noble in his Ford Escort Mk2 claimed a class award with Helen Hall on the maps while another Eden Valley Motor Club crew and one of the most ebullient, 'Boots' (Ken Shaw) and Mark Willan got their elderly Chrysler to a well-deserved third in class.

Top Spadeadam MC crew was David Hope from Hesket-New-Market with Fiona Goulay co-driving their Subaru Impreza in 14th place and Mr Spadeadam, Barry Lindsay with his dad Michael drove the doors of his little Wallace Oils backed Peugeot 106 to get yet another class win to notch on the head board.

The winning Focus of William Stobart came from the ubiquitous preparation company M-Sport where the Stobart Motosport World Rally team have had to make one of two changes in the line for the forth-coming Repco Rally New Zealand, following the serious accident Gigi Galli had which has put him out of competing for a couple of months.

Belgium driver Francois Duval is Galli's replacement and will join Matthew Wilson as the second nominated point scoring driver.

Duval gained the seat after his amazing podium, finish in Germany and the flying Finn Jari-Matti Latvala will join the other Stobart- support team, the Stobart VK M-Sport World Rally Team for the two remaining asphalt rounds of the WRC (World Rally Championship).

Latval will then return to duties with yet another M-Sport run team, the BP Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team.

With so many teams organised and run by Malcolm Wilson which dominate the WRC, it's a wonder the drivers know which car they should be in but the domination is great for Cumbria as M-Sport is a key skills employer and Malcolm is one of our high profile county ambassadors.

With Autumn just round the corner (does anyone know where the summer went?) the county will be hosting some great rallies including the Lombard in November which most our clubs help marshal on.

So if you can help, contact your own club for the rally which starts in Harrogate on November 6, and heads north through Cumbria and Keilder, the South of Scotland, West Argyll and the famous Rest and be Thankful before it's back down to Ae and Castle O'er for an overnight in Carlisle.

The final day takes in Greystoke and Stang before finishing at Rudding Park on November 9.

Close on its heels is another restaging of the old Lombard RAC, the Roger Albert Clark Rally which starts in Leeds on November 15 with overnights in Carlisle and the finish in the city centre on November 17.

Before that excitement, Wigton MC are holding a PTC on September 14 and give notice of the South of Scotland Autumn Stage Rally on the same day, the BARC Harewood Hill Climb on September 20, the Tynedale and District MC Lindisfarne Stages on September 21 and their won Classic car event, the Revier's raid Run on the same day.

Any one wanting more information should log onto therespective club web sites if you either want to enter or marshal.