LEEMING Bar rally driver Kevin Procter defied treacherous conditions to claim a well-deserved outright victory on the recent Premier Stages Rally based in Mansfield.

On his first event for four months and co-driven by Bedale's Mark Lawson, Procter fought back from a broken driveshaft on the opening stage to lie in second place after stage two in Clipstone Forest.

With a titanic battle raging for the lead, the pairing dropped down to third place as the event entered the final leg before Procter set fastest times on stages seven and eight to hold a slender advantage going into the final stage.

But the crew thought they'd missed out on their maiden forest win when water got into the Sapphire Cosworth, causing it to misfire and drop valuable seconds on the final few miles of the stage.

But a relieved Procter and overjoyed Lawson were declared winners of the event by a mere five seconds at the finish at Mansfield Civic Centre. They promptly dedicated their win to the long-suffering and very wet marshals who made the event possible.

West Tanfield's Glen Workman, also returning after a four month lay-off, managed a respectable seventh in his Ford Cosworth. Co-driven by Jonathan Bean from Bedale, he was fourth after stage eight, but a spin on the final test dropped the crew three places.

Thirsk driver Darell Staniforth retired his Proton Wira on the opening stage with gearbox problems.

l Croft Circuit near Darlington hosted Durham Auto Club's annual Croft Sprint Stages Rally last weekend.

Scotch Corner businessman Tony Bardy took a fine second place overall after deciding to enter his Nissan Sunni Gti-R at the last minute. Co-driven by Barnard Castle's Tony Walker, he set fastest times on three of the eight special stages to lead the event at halfway. But he had eventually finished runner-up by just 11 seconds to the powerful Metro 6R4 of Scotsman John Brodie.

Barry Johnson and co-driver Kevin Johnson brought their Subaru Impreza home in third place overall and claimed the DAC award.

Darlington's Sam Petch took her Subaru to a fine 19th overall and 11th in class, while fellow Darlingtonian Steve Williams managed a creditable third in class and 35th overall in his Metro.

l Entries are now open for Northallerton Auto Club's annual Christmas Stages Rally on the military ranges around Catterick Garrison on Saturday, December 30. A host of top local names are expected to be in action at the event, which is sponsored once again by Chris Lewis of The Food Weighouse.

l The winter series, scheduled for November 18 at Croft Circuit, near Darlington, has been cancelled due to lack of entries.

l Trials news on page 26.