Ilkley Motor Club regained control of the Larkspeed Inter-Club championship series after dropping down to fourth place after low scoring in two rallies in recent weeks. However, on Sunday at Bolton Abbey was where it all came good.

Press Officer Henry Kitching drove his 13 year-old MG Metro to overall victory, Malcolm Rainforth won a class as did Otley postman Graham Hepworth.

The production car trial on grassland opposite the Strid car

park was in fine condition for 30 drivers. Twenty sections were driven before lunch and the same number after a short break to refresh men and machines.

Former bike sprinting record holder Martin Grimwood shared a Fiesta with Yorkshire Sports Car colleague John Graves who was only one penalty behind Class A winner Rainforth.

Grimwood was the best novice driver in the contest and also put his club on the scoreline with Graves but event organisers Ilkley now have 250 in hand with two Larkspeed qualifiers on the calendar.

Northern Car Clubs

On Saturday it was national action for the Association of Northern Car Clubs team of Paul Swift, David Mosey, Dave

Sowman and Steve Morten at the Inter Association autotest at Knutsford.

They won the title for the first time, and more or less hogged the individual awards.

Swift, from Hartlepool, was the winner overall, and Mosey competed in a standard, well more or less, Mini saloon, not his own home built autotest special.

On Sunday in the sixth round of the Motor Sports Association championships at the Demon Tweeks headquarters, Wrexham, Mal Livingstone drove his Lotus to victory ahead of Swift and Mosey.

The Guiseley driver leads both championships and is now waiting for the grand finale at Loughborough when he has to fight off two other contenders.

Dabill out of luck

James Dabill was out of luck on Saturday in Italy at the second round of the European Youth Trials championship where he was riding his Scorpa machine into the points lists.

"I made one mistake on Saturday, failed one section, and that was it. The trial was far too easy for a championship qualifier. I had no chance to pull back those five marks, it was won on seven penalties and I lost ten, including the failure on the first lap so Tom Sagar beat me, by one penalty," snorted the Cookridge 17 year-old.

He spent Sunday assisting his boss, Martin Crosswaite, in his bid to win the Adult Euro Trial.

Weekend Results

Ilkley D.M.C. production car trial, Bolton Abbey: Winner - Henry Kitching (MG Metro) 59 penalties. Class A - 1, Malcolm Rainforth (Nova) 70; 2, John Graves (Fiesta) 71; 3, Rodger Willey (Metro). Class C - Graham Hepworth (Hillman Imp) 11. Best novice: Martin Grimwood (Fiesta).

Diary Dates

Saturday: Wetherby DMC Crooks Trophy trial, Clockensyke Farm, Dacre, (5.30pm).

Sunday: Horsforth DMC trial, Galloway Pastures, Greenhow, (11am); Ilkley D.M.C. Auto Jumble and Jubilee Rally prize presentation, Pool Mills Social Club. (Autojumble from 10.30am - Prize ceremony at 3pm); Yeadon and Guiseley MC Round 4, Mackenzie Trophy, Colin Appleyard British Trials Championship, Addingham Moorside, (11.30am); British Automobile Racing Club, Montague Burton Trophy hillclimb, Stockton Farm, Harewood, (noon).

British Trial

The Colin Appleyard ACU 2002 British Trials Championship storms into Yorkshire on Sunday at Addingham Moorside where Dougie Lampkin and Graham Jarvis face up to another confrontation of wills and skills on the unyielding rocks of the toughest trials venue in the north.

The trials championship can only go to one of them, and only three points separate them. Lampkin holds the ace card in the event of a tie break decider, two wins, to date, for the Silsden rider. That could still not be enough to give him the title because the wilds of Widdecombe beckon in September then another rock bashing session at Rochdale.

There is also the little matter of Japan and a sixth world title in September on the agenda before Lampkin can really think about the British series in October.

On present form only he and Jarvis are involved. If Jarvis wins then the scores will be level so the final three rounds are a complex game of chess.

Another Lampkin, cousin James, is aiming to win the Expert championship which he leads by one point from cousin Dan Hemingway.