A host of local crews made the short trip to Malvern last Saturday (20th November) for the JJ Stanley Contractors Showground Stages.

Herefordshire Motor Club returned to the venue after a gap of 27 years and put on a superb event for the maximum entry of 70 cars.

Overnight rain had left the mixed-surface event extremely slippery. Bad conditions continued all day with every crew having a tale to tell of near misses or spins.

Phil Sanders and Mike Jode came home top local crew, finishing 18th overall, third in class in the PJS Electrics Peugeot 205 GTI. They found tyre choice a lottery, despite altenator problems on the final two stages.

They were well pleased with the result and the crew would like to thank Rob Jode and Jon McNally for their help with the car.

Martyn Walby had mechanic Wayne Walker alongside in the Team GMF/ H&N Bounds Escort RS. This was Walker's first ever event, again they found conditions extremely slippery but despite a few spins they had a trouble-free run to 23rd and fifth in class.

"Wayne did a very good job and it was to say thank you to him for all his work this year. I think he enjoyed himself," laughed Walby.

Nick Painter and Will Rogers took 33rd, 10th in class in the Escort RS. They too found conditions tricky and in Will's words "slippery as hell but plenty of sideways".

Russell Joseph teamed up with Phil Skipp in the Vauxhall Astra for the first time, despite only having super soft tyres, which they found worked much better in the afternoon, to claim 43rd, ninth in class.

Ian Archer and Tom Aubrey had really burnt the midnight oil to get the BG Landrovers Escort RS there in time for Saturday and they finished the immaculate car at 3am on Saturday morning, despite a few niggling suspension problems, they got valuable miles in the car and were well pleased with 50th, 10th in class.

Jason Gardner doing only his second event had Tom Marrott in the co-drivers seat in the Brecon View Plumbing Escort Mk1. They found the first three stages very slippery with plenty of overshoots.

Contact with a bale on Stage 5 caused the service crew some work straightening out the damage but they were determined to finish and took 55th, 12th in class

Gary Bollands and Matt Rogers took 59th, eighth in class in the GB Motorservices Escort despite losing 40 seconds on Stage 3 when they went off.

Those who didn't make the finish included Roger Matthews and Jack Walby in the RJ Matthews Transport Escort RS. A blown engine brought their event to an end on Stage 2.

Andy Gwynne and Holly Robinson in the Gwynnespeed Citroen Saxo S1600 started well but a blown diff on Stage 3 curtailed their event.

Despite the slippery conditions, the event was very well run and enjoyed by competitors and spectators a like.