HAVING finished as runners-up on the 2014 Weir Engineering Wyedean Forest Rally, Penrith’s Paul Bird and Welsh co-driver Aled Davies have gone one better this year to take victory on the 40th Anniversary of the Chepstow Racecourse-based event.

In second place after the first of eight special stages in the Forest of Dean, Bird/Davies proceeded to set a string of fastest times in their Ford Focus WRC, putting them into a lead which had stretched to half-a-minute by the end of the day.

Runners-up were Scots crew Dave Weston/Kirsty Riddick in their Subaru Impreza WRC, with the similar car of 2007 Wyedean winners Hugh Hunter/Andy Marchbank, who are returning to forest rallying after a season of asphalt events, taking third place.

With Carl Williamson to guide him along the way, Yorkshireman Charlie Payne (Ford Fiesta), the most recent Wyedean winner (2012) in this year’s capacity entry, was fourth overall, while 2001/2009 victor Nik Elsmore was fifth in a borrowed Mitsubishi Lancer EVO9.

The top six was completed by Damian Cole/Jack Morton (Ford Focus WRC) - an exact repeat of the Hereford driver’s last visit to the rally in 2010.

The first two-wheel drive car home was the Ford Escort MkII of Cheltenham’s Nick Elliott/Dave Price while Graham Elsmore/Stuart Harrold, the winners of the first three Wyedean Rallies between 1975 and 1977, took a top 20 finish and a class win in their own Weir Engineering-sponsored Escort.

The 1400cc category, which accounted for 65 of the starters, was won by Dave Bennett/Alistair McNeil in their Vauxhall Corsa. The Yorkshire crew was a couple of seconds faster than their nearest rivals through the opening stage of the day to establish a lead that they maintained throughout the remainder of the event.

Hereford’s Ian Evans/Justin Brooks were second in their Nova, forty-eight seconds adrift of the leaders, while third place went to the Toyota Yaris of another Yorkshire crew, Ash Slights/Alex Lee.

Full results are at www.wyedeanrally.com