Denholme-based garage proprietor Malcolm Davey and Ben Rhydding's Paul Slingsby won their class at the first attempt in last weekend’s Roger Albert Clark Rally.

The Ford Escort Mexico Mk1 ran faultlessly from the start, setting the fourth fastest time on the opening stage at Herrington Country Park on Friday night. Minor issues with windscreen wipers and fog slowed them on the forest stages of Hamsterley.

Saturday saw the crews complete over 300 miles of driving. Starting with a repeat of the Herrington stages, they then headed south to Croft racing circuit, then north to the forests of Hamsterley, Wark and Kershope. The Mexico ran without fault all day, putting them in a good position for the final day’s stages around Kielder Forest.

Sunday dawned to a clear and sunny start but hopes of a good finish were nearly dashed on stage 25 – Ogre Hill (Kielder Forest) – when they slid off the road into a ditch at high speed. Fortunately, spectators were on hand to man-handle the car back on to the track. Sustaining only cosmetic damage and dropping around two minutes, they continued to finish first in class, fourth in the open category and 24th overall.