FOLLOWING on from a class victory in the recent North Humberside Forest Stages Rally, Thirsk driver Tim Pearcey made it two wins in a row last weekend after winning his class in the Betta Somerset Stages Rally based in Minehead.

The Willow Green Homesbacked Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX overcame a stiff challenge from rival Patrick Naylor to clinch maximum points in the BTRDA National Rally Championship Production Cup class for the second event running.

Using a mixture of forest and tarmac roads near to the Brendon Hills area, Pearcey and codriver Jamie Edwards, from Wrexham, were both venturing to Somerset for the first time.

The MSR Motorsport-run team headed south with some anxiety, but their lack of familiarity with the stages did not show as they settled into second place early on. After visiting the Porlock Hill tarmac stages, the pair kept the gap to the hardcharging Naylor to five seconds.

A seven-mile forest test would see Pearcey push harder as he took three seconds back from Naylor. With the battle for the lead now well and truly open, it was Naylor who cracked under the pressure as he slid off the road on the eighth stage of the rally and was forced into retirement.

There was still time for drama for Pearcey however, as an engine hose came loose affecting the performance of the car slightly. Sterling work by team rectified the problem at the service area, and Tim and Jamie were able to keep up their strong pace to finish sixth overall and first in Group N.

Pearcey said after the event: "It was a tough day for us as we didn't know the stages at all so that was a disadvantage for us.

We decided to do our own thing and we knew that we could put the pressure onto Patrick for the afternoon's stages. It was a shame that he retired, but we were pleased to take another maximum points score.

"We're leading the BTRDA Production Cup Championship now and our target is to win that this year. There's an awful long way to go yet, but we're in a good position so far.

Tim and Jamie will compete on the Dukeries Rally, in Sherwood Forest next month, which comprises the next round of the BTRDA Rally Championship.

● Despite the occasional inclement weather, there was still a true international flavour at Croft Circuit when the second round of the British F3 Championship took place there last weekend.

Mexican Sergio Perez and New Zealander Brendon Hartley shared the victories over the two races, but only after plenty of drama around the North Yorkshire track.

In the opening encounter, Hartley's Carlin Motorsport Dallara ended up in the gravel trap on the opening corner of the race after an altercation with Angolan driver Ricardo Teixeira, leaving Perez to take victory on a drying track over Swede Sebastian Hohenthal and Argentinean driver Esteban Guerrieri.

Race two saw the race redflagged in the opening stages after a multi-car pile up on the fast Barcroft section ruled out several of the leading runner and left a marshal in need of hospital treatment.

After a lengthy delay, Hartley took a comfortable victory in the re-run ahead of Perez, who moved into the championship lead courtesy of his second place, while British honour was upheld with Penrith's Oliver Turvey bringing his Carlin Dallara home in third place.