Daniel O'Brien, co-driven by the experienced Paul Morris, took top local honours on the Malcolm Wilson Rally last weekend with a fine ninth overall, second in class, in the Willow Sign&Design-backed Ford Focus WRC.

Round two of the Reis/ Get-Connected.com BTRDA series took crews to Cumbria for 45 miles of the classic forests of Hobcarton, Comb, Wythop, Grisedale and Greystoke.

Nigel Jenkins and Jack Walby were looking to build on their excellent Wyedean result, in the Calico Interiors.co.uk backed 16v Nova.

After useful points in the Millers Oils 1400 championship, they got off to good start lying sixth 1400 at first service.

After the first of the two long Grisedale stages they had moved up to fourth, but on the 10-mile Grisedale North test they slid off into a hole, costing them nearly a minute and dropping them down the leaderboard to 16th 1400, but good times on the final two stages saw them climb back to 44th overall, 11th 1400 and ninth in class.

Roger Chilman and Brian Thomas in the Securcom Subaru Impreza WRC, had an event to forget, lying fourth overall after the opening two stages, they dropped to fifth at service, but gearbox hydraulic pump failure brought their event to a sudden end.

Sunday's Rally Marketing Mid-Wales Historic Stages the opening round of the British MSA Historic rally championship saw Roger Matthews and his Ross co-driver take a superb fifth overall, fourth in the post historic class in the RJ Matthews Transport Escort RS1600 despite two big moments in Myherin forest, and damaging the front end in Sweet Lamb.

Tim Phelps and Russell Joseph in the BG Landrovers Escort RS2000 finished 17th and seventh in class, one place behind in 18th was Ceiriog Hughes and Cliff Simmons in a Saab 96V4, this was Hughes first event for 21 years.

Gunter to the rescue

Paul Gunter came to the rescue of fellow competitor Jake Scannell on stage four.

He noticed Scannell's Mazda RX7 in a deep ditch and no sign of the crew, so he stopped and help extract the driver, but co-driver Adrian Stevens was complaining of back injuries so Gunter and co-driver Den Golding went to the next radio point and got the stage stopped so Stevens could get medical attention, and be airlifted to hospital.

"I couldn't see anybody so I stopped. One car had already passed them, but I would like to think somebody would stop for me, its a sport where you help one another," said Gunter.

Although it cost the Ross driver several minutes, he should be commended for his actions.