MOTORSPORT By Tony Brunskill

Last updated at 08:42, Friday, 07 November 2008

Penrith race boss Paul Bird finished the World Superbikes season on a relative high when star rider Gregorio Lavilla posted his second best result of the year in Portugal on the Vent Axia VK Honda.

Malcolm Wilson Rally pictures 11/03/06

After a rubbish qualifying position of 17th, Greg scythed his way through the field to a certain podium finish but on the rain-soaked track and on the last corner he high-sided but managed to keep in his saddle to finish sixth in the first race.

Greg set his sights on a podium on race two but the gremlins hit the gearbox and he struggled to eighth but was pleased to have at least finished 12th in the championship overall.

In reality it's been a lacklustre season for Paul's team and he is looking forward to ending his association with two-wheeled sport and hopes to enter four-wheeled competition in the British Touring Car Championship in 2009.

Better news from M-Sport as Malcolm Wilson's firm runs for the mighty Ford Empire BP Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team, which claimed a superb one-two result on Rally Japan last weekend.

The all-conquering Ford Focus RS WRC of Mikko Hirvonen and Jarmo Lehtinen led from the first stage right to the end while team mate in a similar Focus, Jari-Matti Latvala with Miikka Anttila in the hot seat, were 30.1 seconds behind in second place.

Just as pleasing for Malcolm was his son Matthew being in great form to claim seventh place helped by Scotby man Scott Martin co-driving his Ford Focus WRC.

Though relegated to third place, reigning world champion, Sebastian Loeb driving a Citroën had a sufficient point lead to become the first driver to win five world titles which was galling for M-Sport but there's always next year!

The final round of the championship is the Rally Wales GB next month on 4-7 December which is an all gravel rally based in Cardiff.

This weekend the Lombard Classic rally passes through our district and I know many club stalwarts will be out marshalling and watching.

Both Jane and myself have been 'volunteered' by Spadeadam Motor Club general factotum and rally giant killer, Barry Lindsay, to manage a passage control in the middle of Newcastleton for which we have equipped ourselves with woolly undercrackers, endless layers of cardies and luminous waterproofs, so if you see two brightly-lit and over-sized creatures in the forest, it's us folks!

The stage is just to the east of Newcastleton, so if you want to see some great sideways action by proper rally cars, get yourselves there and bring coffee and a hipflask to comfort the marshals. For those with cartographical know-how, the map reference for my control is 79/504873.

I had an email for Cumbria's finest co-driver, Ron Palmer, to tell me that as head honcho of the Wigton Motor Club he wanted to plug a great club night at the Wigton RFU club house on Wednesday November 12 at 8pm

Ian Cowan is giving a talk with DVD presentations about his building of a kit to recreate the fabulous Jaguar KKSS sports car. I have seen Ian's presentation at the Solway Jaguar Club as well as seeing and hearing this faithful replica and its brill - so get there and see for yourself!

First published at 05:14, Friday, 07 November 2008
Published by http://www.newsandstar.co.uk