RIPON rally driver Charlie Payne recorded his best result of the season with a hard-fought third place in the fifth round of the REIS Ravenol BTRDA Rally Series, the DMack Tyres Carlisle Stages Rally.

Along with Welsh co-driver Carl Williamson, Payne overcame the disappointment of retirement in two previous rounds to rekindle outside hopes of the championship following a spirited performance in his Ford Fiesta over six tricky stages in Kielder Forest.

Another local crew hoping to consolidate their championship position were Hamsterley driver Stephen Petch and co-driver Ian Windress, from Northallerton, who were in action in their WD-40-backed Ford Fiesta R5. However, it proved to be a difficult day for the former runners-up in the series when they broke the suspension following a spin on SS2, before battling back up the leaderboard to claim 15th overall and sixth in class at the finish.

The pair still hold second place in the series with four rounds remaining and there is still the dropped scores equation to consider, so they’ll be looking to make amends in next month’s Nicky Grist Stages Rally in Wales.

Also suffering problems in the dusty conditions were reigning BRTDA 1400cc champions Mat Smith, from Thirsk, and co-driver Giles Dykes, from Barnard Castle. The pair got stuck behind a competitor who had suffered problems on SS3 and had to back off because of reduced visibility. Then a puncture later in the day saw them reach the finish in 20th place overall and second in class in their 1400cc Proton Satria.

After a shakedown on the recent Jim Clark Rally, former national champions Steve Petch, from Scorton, and Exelby co-driver John Richardson were again out in their recently-acquired SGP Motorsport Ford Fiesta S2000. A steady run netted them 24th overall and seventh in class.

Bedale’s Simon Cole and Eggleston co-driver Steve Waggett had a good run to claim 59th and third in class in their CS Automotive-prepared BMW 325, while Northallerton driver John Tillett brought the Tockwith MOT Services and RMB Autos-backed Ford Escort Mk2, which he was sharing with Malton co-driver Sam Spencer, home 63rd overall and seventh in class.

But the notorious roads of "Killer Kielder" claimed five of the region’s crews. First out was the Vauxhall Nova of Redcar driver Christopher Roe and co-driver Mark Whitehouse, from Billingham, who reported no oil pressure on the opening stage. SS2 claimed three crews, with Ripon’s Matt Robinson and co-driver Kim Baker hitting a rock and damaging their Ford Fiesta, while an engine fire on their Chrysler Avenger put paid to Potto driver Keith Davison and Ripon co-driver Henry Richardson’s hopes.

Pickhill co-driver Chris Pattison went out on the same stage with brake failure in the Subaru Impreza he was sharing with driver Jan Budge, while Thirsk’s Charlotte Wainwright lasted until the final stage before retiring in the VW Polo she was co-driving for Cheshire driver Matthew Thompson.

NORTHALLERTON father and daughter rally team Andy and Georgina Smith were in European action last weekend when they crossed the Channel to take part in the Woodstoxx Motul Wervik Rally, which comprised round three of the Belgian Pinto Cup series.

Having run in the top five for most of the day in their Ford Escort Mk2, they had the misfortune of retiring with a broken gearbox within sight of the finish of SS11, but hope to be back in action soon.

REDCAR Bears were hoping to make up for their away defeat to Berwick Bandits in last week’s league match. In heat one, Bandits rider Ben Barker got the gate with Bears’ Lasse Bjerre on his tail, but on lap two, Barker suffered an electrical problem and pulled off, which let Bjerre take the win with team-mate Jan Graversen in second, giving the Bears a 5-1 start.

Heat two saw Bears’ Ben Morley hold off a strong challenge from Berwick’s Alex Edberg. Bears rider Rafal Konopka tried everything to pass Edberg with a hard charge around him on turn two, but he fell and the points were split 3-3. Heat three gave Bandits’ Thomas Jorgensen, who is a specialist at Redcar, a win with team-mate and guest rider Richie Worrall in second.

With a 5-1 to the Bandits, the score was now even at 9-9, with the makings of an exciting and close match. A win for Bears captain Stuart Robson in the fastest heat of the night then gave the Bears a 4-2 score and a lead of 13-11. Bandits scored a 4-2 in the next heat, with a win for Ben Barker on a bike borrowed from Worrall. This made the scores all square at 15-15.

Graversen won heat six as Bjerre attempted a charge around the outside of Bandits captain Kevin Doolan, but lifted and nearly hit the fence and had to settle for third. This 4-2 to the Bears made the scoreline 19-17. Heat seven was a cracking race with Jorgensen out in front. Konopka dived under Bandits’ Steve Worrall into second place, only for Worrall to push his rival out towards the fence and re-take second. A 5-1 to the Bandits reversed the scoreline to 20-22.

Another win for Doolan in heat eight increased the Bandits lead to 22-26, but wins for Bears riders Matej Kus and Bjerre in heats nine and ten split the points to hold the Bandits lead to four points. Heats 11 and 12 gave the Bandits scores of 4-2 to stretch their lead to eight points. Going into heat 13, a win for the Bears was still possible, but the points were split 3-3 with another win for Barker. This meant that the Bears had to score 5-1 in the last two heats to draw the match.

The night’s top-scoring rider Jorgensen won heat 14, with Bears’ Adam Roynon in second and Konopka third to split the points. The final race of the night saw a win for Barker, with Jorgensen second and Kus in third.

The final scoreline of 39-51, although disappointing for the Bears, did include some exciting racing and, in an effort to strengthen the team, the Bears management are looking to bring in one new rider in the next couple of weeks.