LOCAL drivers David Henderson and Guy Wilks maintained their championship challenges with fine performances in round two of the Ford Puma 1400 Championship at the UK Rally Challenge at Knockhill last Saturday.

Despite the mixed weather conditions, which caused problems with tyre choices, it was Wilks, from Heighington, who got the better of his Durham rival Henderson.

He finished 25 seconds ahead to claim the runner-up spot behind winner Shaun Woffinden of Gainsborough on the 45-stage mile event which was held as a replacement for the cancelled Scottish Rally.

Having won the first round three weeks ago, Henderson and his co-driver, Ian Windress from Northallerton, stamped their authority on proceedings early on.

But an off on stage three - when the crew was caught out on slick tyres as a rain shower intervened - meant they slid wide at a chicane. As Henderson grabbed reverse gear, a part of the linkage broke, costing them over a minute.

Wilks and his Welsh co-driver, Clive Jenkins, capitalised and edged in front of Henderson at half distance to set up a frantic battle with former Ford Ka champion Woffinden.

Henderson charged back into contention with a series of fastest stage times to net him a £500 cheque for his efforts.

Former circuit racer Henderson put his track knowledge to good use by posting times on the final two stages which were considerably faster than anyone else, but had to settle for third place.

Wilks' second consecutive runner-up spot saw him jointly lead the championship with Henderson at the quarter distance stage.

Meanwhile, two of the region's championship runners in the Ford Ka series enjoyed mixed fortunes.

Scorton teenager Stephen Petch and his co-driver John Richardson, from Northallerton, followed up their recent debut with another fine drive to net seventh in the SGP Motorsport Ka. In doing so, Stephen claimed runner-up spot in the junior championship to round off a successful day.

The pairing escaped from a near roll, but reported an otherwise trouble free day, but it wasn't such good news for Middlesbrough's Andrew Davison, who ended up rolling out of the event on stage seven.

The 17-year-old gradually climbed the leaderboard to fourth in class after stage six - where he posted third fastest time in class - before an innocuous looking spin on the penultimate stage caused the car to flip over and roll on the wet grass, causing extensive damage.

The accident means that Davison could miss the next round of the championship which takes place in Swansea next month.

Another crew having a fraught day were Richmond brothers Mark and Andy Constantine in the WA Browne Nova. They suffered a catalogue of disasters, yet still managed 28th overall and second in class.

The BTRDA champions of last year had to endure seized brakes on the opening two stages before breaking the gear linkage on stage three, which also cost them time.

Stage four saw them puncture a tyre and they lost the exhaust system on both of the following stages, before a relatively trouble free run on the final two tests - despite them catching slower cars - saw them record a good finish on their first ever all-tarmac event.

l With the lack of UK competition due to the on-going foot-and-mouth epidemic, Castleton driver Ryan Champion and a number of other UK crews travelled all the way to the Caribbean last weekend to take part in the Texaco Rally of Barbados, which formed part of the FIA Caribbean Island Championship.

Driving the Rick Champion Tyres-backed Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 4, Ryan was due to have his car builder Mark Robson, from Thirsk, acting as co-driver on the event.

But Mark had to return home just 24 hours after arriving due to a family bereavement, so in stepped York's Graham Wilcox as a last minute replacement.

Despite the heat, which caused turbo problems, the pair battled against a strong local contingent on the dry tarmac roads to come home in 15th place overall and fourth in class. A fine performance was highlighted with a stunning drive in front of 25,000 fans around the final stage RallySprint arena.

As a result of his performance, Champion has been invited by the organisers to stay on for this weekend's RallySprint before returning home to prepare for his next event in France early next month.

l Darlington and District Motor Club host their Summer Trophy race day at Croft this Sunday when a host of competitors converge on the North Yorkshire circuit to take part in a number of championships.

The club - which is the oldest and largest such organisation in the region - will be hosting championship races for classes such as the Irish Formula Vee, MGs, XR2s and Caterhams as well as the Northern and Scottish Saloons and Sports Cars.

The action gets underway at noon, with the first race at 12.50, and admission costs £12 for adults with accompanied children under 15 free