AFTER a few seasons in the doldrums, Barnard Castle rallycross driver "Mad" Mark Watson showed he had lost none of his old form as he put on a superb display to remain unbeaten in the final round of the BTRDA Rallycross Championship held at Croft last Sunday.

Driving his venerable ex-Laurent Terroitin French Championship-winning Citroen Xsara WRC, the local hotelier backed up his encouraging performance in the British Rallycross Championship round at Croft last month to see off the opposition in all three heats, as well as the Scooby Clinic Clubman 4x4 final, to record his first victory in four years.

It was just reward for the Mend-A-Hose and Jersey Farm Hotel-backed team, who have spent endless hours upgrading the car this season, and it made up for last year’s disappointment when Watson was leading the BTRDA final only to suffer suspension failure on the very last corner.

There were plenty of other local drivers in action in the 80-strong field and the decent-sized crowd was treated to some awesome action around the super-fast part-asphalt, part-gravel North Yorkshire track.

The Citroen Saxos of Ingleby Barwick’s Martin Peters and Chop Gate driver John Gaskin battled for honours in the Mel Williams Production A final, where the usual bruising encounter saw Peters claim second place and Gaskin fifth as just three seconds covered the top six drivers. Chester-le-Street teenager Connor Hook brought his Ford Ka home in second in the C final before a great drive saw him claim fifth in the B final.

The strongest SuperModified field in recent years saw two dozen cars in action and East Harlsey’s Guy Corner emerged as the best of the locals in his supercharged two-litre Peugeot 206. He claimed third in the Fuchs Lubricants-backed A final behind European superstars Herbjorn Haug (Ford Puma) and Jos Sterkens (Volvo C30), while Newcastle pair Michael Boak (Audi TT) and Phil Chicken (Citroen C2) failed to make the start having qualified.

Northallerton’s Larry Carter qualified for the B final courtesy of a second place in the C final in his hired Suzuki Swift, and claimed ninth following a race-long dice with Barnard Castle driver Brian Jukes (Audi TT) and Stockton’s Andy Hawkes (Suzuki Swift), who finished just ahead.

There was victory in the Historic Pre-95 final for Stokesley youngster Jordan Bowes in his Mini Clubman, with the Great Broughton father and son pairing of Terry and Neil Maynard third and fourth respectively in their mighty Triumph TR8s. Great Ayton driver Ian Horn claimed fifth in his Vauxhall Nova.

The BMW Mini final was very much a local affair as Ripon brothers Kris and Keifer Hudson finished first and third, sandwiching Stockton driver Martin Hawkes in runner-up spot. Multiple champion David Bell, from Ferryhill, finished fourth, while Frankie Helliwell, from Boroughbridge, got the better of her fellow female competitor Jennie Hawkes, from Stockton, to complete the top six.

NORTHALLERTON pair Graeme Bell and Russ Radford continued their recent good form by claiming a superb fourth place on last Sunday’s NHMC Cadwell Park Stages Rally.

Again in their Millington-engined Ford Escort RS2500, the pair claimed second in class and continued their quest for championship honours at the event, which comprised the second round of the Motorsport News MSV Circuit Rally Challenge.

Mickleton driver Alistair Hutchinson and Barnard Castle co-driver St John Dykes had a good run in their LPG-powered Renault Clio to claim 15th overall and second in class, while Ripon’s Tim Gray brought the Ford Puma he was sharing with co-driver Wayne Ward home 32nd overall and fourth in class.

Pickhill’s Bruce Lindsay guided Kevin Bennett’s Ford Sapphire Cosworth to 51st overall and 11th in class and Sinderby co-driver Katy Bates helped Rob Kennedy’s Nissan Micra finish 59th overall and second in class.

But there was heartbreak for Bedale driver Joe Cunningham, who retired the Coach2.com Vauxhall Corsa he was sharing with Marc Fowler on the last stage when a crank sensor broke. The pair had been easily leading their class and were looking to add maximum class points in the championship.

In the Wales Rally GB National event, Birkby brothers Carl and Robin Tuer retired their MGZR at the end of the second day, while Pickhill co-driver Chris Pattison got no further than day one in the MG he was sharing with Gary Wright.

AFTER 12 consecutive years of running, the 2015 Roger Albert Clark Rally has been cancelled owing to the lower-than-expected level of entries received at the closing date for initial entries.

The three-day event was due to take place next weekend in Kielder Forest, but organisers took the hard decision last week, meaning the event was not financially viable.

The organisers have said the event will not run in 2016 either, but they hope to return in 2017 with a different format in the hope of attracting sufficient competitors for this unique event.