SUZUKI driver Guy Wilks claimed his first Junior World Rally Championship win when he took victory on the Acropolis Rally in Greece last weekend.

Despite searing temperatures and the notoriously rough and dusty stages, the 23-year-old from Heighington drove faultlessly and his Suzuki Ignis performed impeccably throughout all three days of the gruelling event, which is widely regarded as one of the toughest in the entire championship.

Conditions were so tough that only five of the original 21 JWRC starters managed to get to the finish. After 377 gruelling kilometres, Wilks and Welsh co-driver Phil Pugh had won half of the 22 stages.

Wilks took the lead on Saturday afternoon and controlled his pace during Sunday's six stages to make sure of Suzuki's third Junior World Championship victory.

He said: "I'm more delighted than I can really say and I've waited a long time for this. We knew before the start of the rally that we were going to be able to challenge for victory, but to finally achieve it feels very special indeed.

"The car has been supreme throughout the event and I cannot praise it highly enough."

l Barry Burrell's hopes of a top ten finish in the third round of the BMW Motorrad Boxer Cup series held at Mugello in Italy last weekend were dashed when he was adjudged to have jumped the start, resulting in a ten-second penalty.

The 17-year-old from Bishop Auckland could only manage 25th position during qualifying, meaning a row seven start for the Team Great Britain rider, and was a little too keen when the lights changed.

Burrell managed to claw his way up to tenth position and found himself riding against a host of top international racers for the duration of the race, but when the penalty was added to his overall time the youngster was relegated to 15th place, salvaging one championship point.

But Burrell still lies third in the BMW Motorrad Boxer Cup Young Star competition for the best rider under 21. The winner will drive away in a brand new BMW Mini at the end of the season.

The series will provide the support race at six more Moto GP rounds. The next round is at Assen, in the Netherlands, on June 26.

* Local riders made the long trip south to Thruxton last weekend, but couldn't muster a rostrum appearance between them for the first time this season.

Guisborough's Dennis Hobbs left a meeting without any silverware for the first time this year having posted a fourth and a fifth place finish in round six of the THINK! British Superbike Cup aboard the Hobbs Racing Suzuki.

But, despite a couple of problems, the 21-year-old maintained second place in the championship standings at the halfway stage.

Middlesbrough's Paul Veazey showed some improvements aboard his JR Motosport Yamaha, but ended up 22nd after a last-lap plan to finish higher was scuppered.

The 17-year-old was shadowing the half a dozen riders in front of him, but a plan to pass on the final lap ended when another rider crashed. That brought out the yellow flags, meaning riders were not allowed to pass.

Stockton-born Michael Hill failed to see the chequered flag when his Taboo Motorsport 125cc Honda seized early in the race and Hutton Rudby's Russ Hodgson had to sit out the meeting when he sustained an ankle injury while out training during the week.

The next round takes place at Brands Hatch next weekend.

l HBR's Richie Harrison made the long trip south to Brands Hatch in Kent last weekend to contest round four of the MRO Championship, having spent the past couple of weeks with his father Steve, totally rebuilding the engine of his Yamaha R1 after a recent blow up.

The Darlington racer was soon in the groove, posting a best result of 13th in Saturday's Champion of Brands race as he battled it out with a number of local track specialists around the full GP track, circulating a full two seconds faster than his previous best.

The following day, in glorious conditions, Harrison set about qualifying for the MRO Powerbike race and was placed 34th on the 40-rider grid.

In the race itself, he made an excellent start and managed to gain a number of places around the outside of Paddock Hill Bend on the first lap.

As the pack settled down, Harrison attempted to tag on to the leading bunch. But, with his ageing Yamaha down on speed compared to the newer Suzukis, he could only battle on to claim 29th place at the flag.

However, he knocked another half second off his personal best lap in the process.

The team will next be in action when they travel to Knockhill in Scotland to take part in the British Supersport Cup race early next month.

* When Topcliffe motor sport enthusiast Tony Jameson-Allen and a neighbour purchased a Renault 5GT Turbo to use on track days, it turned out to be the last one ever made by Renault Motorsport.

As a result, they were invited to take the car to the Renault 30 Years of Motorsport meeting at Thruxton recently.

Bob Pope of Teesside Karting hired the car for the meeting and, having driven for the past four years in the 5 TS championship, qualified the Motoscope-prepared car in 13th place before finishing the race 12th out of the 25 Renault 5s competing.

Highlight for the team was having exclusive use of the pit garages while the Formula Renaults and Clios had to work out of their transporter awnings.

The car will be on display at the Yorkshire Car Show which takes place at Pickering on Sunday.

* It was a case of young beating old when the SGP Motosport team ventured to Wales for the Mutiny National Rally last weekend.

Contesting the Peugeot 206 Super Cup, Hamsterley's Stephen Petch junior and co-driver Michael Wilkinson, from Tow Law, battled against the dusty conditions as well as a broken shock absorber to claim tenth in class at the Builth Wells finish.

Petch junior's father, Steve, from Scorton, and Northallerton co-driver John Richardson, who was hindered by illness, ended up tenth overall after an eventful day in their Hyundai Accent WRC.

An excursion into a ditch on SS1 cost the pair a lot of time in round four of the Kumho Tyres National Rally Championship and relegated them to 20th before a sterling fightback saw them climb back into the top ten at the end of the nine-stage event.

* Catterick Village autograss racer Martyn Tinker continued his great form at Stratford upon Avon in the Midlands Autograss Promotions Open Championship last weekend.

Driving the Class 7 Millington-engined Renault Clio with a revolutionary new gearbox installed, Tinker claimed a pair of runner-up placings as well as a victory during the heats before storming to second place in the final of a meeting which featured more than 700 cars.

The weekend before, Tinker contested the opening round of the British Autograss Series at Green Hammerton, near York, and was unlucky not to win.

Having battled his way through the heats, Tinker led the Class 7 final for the first two laps before eventually crossing the line in third place. However, race organisers deemed he had jumped the start and docked him two further places. The next round of the BAS championship takes place in Hertfordshire next weekend.

* Former world Superbike champion and current Moto GP star Colin Edwards will make his annual visit to Northallerton next month to take part in the North Yorkshire Road Racing Supporters Club Night With The Stars at Club Amadeus.

The American factory Honda rider will take part in the show on Tuesday, July 20 along with a host of other motor sport stars still to be confirmed. More details from Sue Symons on 01904 339647.

* The planned media and publicity day at Croft circuit on Tuesday has been postponed after a late alteration to the final instructions for the next round of the THINK! British Superbike Championship at Brands Hatch next weekend meant that all the major teams need to arrive a day earlier than originally scheduled. The circuit hopes to run the event at a later date.