SCOTLAND and Wales saw the majority of rally action for local crews last weekend, when good results contrasted with a larger than usual number of retirements on both events.

The latest round of the Motoring News Circuit Rally Championship, in association with MSVR, took place on Anglesey with the Lee Holland Memorial Rally, but just three crews from our region saw the finish.

Leading the way with 13th overall and fifth in class was the LPG-powered Renault Clio of Mickleton garage owner Alistair Hutchinson, who had the firm’s mechanic Jordan English on the maps. The sister car, also owned by Hutchinson and with his student son Joe in the co-driver’s seat, saw Staindrop driver Colin Butler take 36th overall and 16th in class.

Leeming Bar driver Dave Johnstone, with Pickhill’s Bruce Lindsay on the maps, overcame a lack of revs to bring the Peugeot 205 home 38th overall and a deserved fourth in class.

But five other crews who travelled across to North Wales didn’t have the best of days.

Ripon pair Tim and Morgan Gray retired their Ford Puma on the day’s second stage, which also accounted for Teessiders Mark and John Burton in their Ford Fiesta XR2, which succumbed to a burnt inlet valve.

The Tanfield Engineering-backed Lotus Exige of father and daughter team Bill and Kari Bates lasted just one stage further before a broken driveshaft sidelined the Sinderby and Pickhill duo, but the last stage of the day saw the most drama.

Class championship leader Joe Cunningham, of Bedale, with fellow 1400cc driver Andy Fawcett, from Witton Gilbert, on the notes for the first time, was on course for another great result in the Coach2.com-backed Vauxhall Corsa until he hit some tyre markers hard on SS8, which broke the transmission and ruled them out.

But Cunningham still leads his class going into the penultimate round at Cadwell Park in two weeks’ time.

Worse fortune struck Staindrop driver Mark Thompson and co-driver Thomas Bruce, who, after a decent showing throughout the day in their Flymo-sponsored Peugeot 206, rolled out within sight of the finish.

Meanwhile, up in Scotland, the annual Brick and Steel Border Counties Rally took place in the classic stages of the northern fringes of Kielder Forest.

There were again mixed fortunes for local crews on the Jedburgh-based event, which comprised the second round of the ARR Craib MSA Scottish Rally Championship.

Thirlby’s Ben Cree, in the Homemade and Vintage-backed and Terry Cree Motorsport-prepared Peugeot 205 he was sharing with Boltby co-driver Richard Shores, finished 35th overall and second in class.

Pickhill co-driver Chris Pattison continued his hectic 2016 season by partnering Jan Budge to 54th overall and 14th in class in their Subaru Impreza. Two places behind was the Proton Millington of Barry Renwick, from Consett, and Tyneside co-driver Paul Hughes, who claimed 11th in class on a rare gravel outing.

Teesside businessman Peter Stephenson and co-driver Patrick Walshafter made a good start and were sixth after the opening stage, but SS2 claimed the Able UK-backed Ford Focus WRC when it slid off the road and was unable to rejoin. The same stage also accounted for Ripon’s Andrew Robinson and Malton co-driver Graham Wilcox, who retired their AR Pumpcrete-sponsored Ford Escort Mk2.

Scotland-based Birkby brothers Carl and Rob Tuer lasted one stage further before going out in their S1600-specification MG-ZR, while the Ford RS2000 of South Kilvington publican Nick Kitching and co-driver Ben Clarke was parked up after SS4 due to Clarke not feeling well.

Continuing his mixed start to the season, Ripon driver Matthew Robinson, this time with Helperby’s Nigel Hutchison on the notes, suffered a problem on the second stage in his iconic historic-specification Fiat 131S and eventually retired on the last stage.

THE MSA British Rallycross Championship descends on Lydden Hill, in Kent, this weekend for round two of the series and, following a successful opening round at Croft earlier this month, local drivers are hoping to continue that form.

Ford Fiesta driver Kevin Procter, from Leeming Bar, leads the title race following victory at the opening round. He will face a stiff challenge from another strong field, which will include FIA World Rallycross Championship driver Liam Doran. Also entered are Jochen Coox, who won the opening round of the season in his ex-Marklund Motorsport Volkswagen Polo, and Jos Jansen and Johnny Verkuringen in the Supercar category.

Multiple rallycross champion Dave Bellerby, from Northallerton, made his first full-time Supercar start at Croft in his Sayers-sponsored Ford Fiesta and finished fourth. He returns to the Lydden circuit where, in 2007, he became the last driver to win a British Championship event overall in a two-wheel drive car. Another podium finisher from the same event, "Mad" Mark Watson, from Barnard Castle, is targeting similar fortune this weekend as he makes his first start of the season, having been forced to miss the opening round due to technical problems.

Fuchs Titan Race-sponsored Lotus Exige campaigner Paige Bellerby, from Northallerton, won the first round of the championship, but expects tougher competition this weekend, while Richmond teenager Tom Constantine will be looking for a repeat victory in his CBS-backed Suzuki Swift in the MSA Junior Championship.