CO-DRIVERS from Northallerton ended up in second and third places overall on the Grizedale Stages Rally which took place in the unseasonably mild Lake District last Saturday.

A capacity 120-car entry took to the start in Coniston and Ian Windress guided Ford Focus WRC driver Paul Bird (Penrith) to second overall.

John Richardson, who had won the event in 2002 and 2003 with driver Steve Petch from Scorton, brought the Hyundai Accent WRC home in third place, just eight seconds adrift.

It could have been a different story for the former national champions had they not dropped time after visiting a ditch on the final stage. As a result, they relinquished the runner-up spot to Bird and Windress, who were competing on their first rally together in more than two years.

But none of the locals could live with Cockermouth youngsters Matt Wilson and Scott Martin as they took a debut victory on the popular Furness and District MC event in their Ford Focus WRC.

Wilson, just 17 and son of former works driver Malcolm, set fastest times on all bar one of the six stages to clinch the win by some 28 seconds over Bird and Windress, with Petch and Richardson completing the rostrum after 45 miles of tight and twisty stages.

Despite the kind weather, all crews reported that the stages were wet and slippery. A large puddle on SS1 caused problems with misted screens for the front-runners, who arrived at first service following the first 20-mile loop with Wilson in front by some 20 seconds.

Petch held off Bird by a second, while a bad tyre choice and two start-line stalls relegated national champion Steve Perez and co-driver Claire Mole to fourth in their Ford Focus 03.

Two short tests in Dunnerdale followed as Wilson extended his advantage by a further six seconds, with the battle for second raging as just nine seconds covered the next three crews.

In Grizedale for only the second time in his short career, Wilson charged through SS5 before easing the pace on the final stage as he sealed victory ahead of fellow Cumbrian Bird, who wrested second place from Petch having gone into SS6 on identical times.

Ingleton's Tony Thompson and York co-driver Jon Dunning brought the MSR-prepared Tidybike Mitsubishi Lancer home ninth overall, claiming second in class in the process as just two seconds separated themselves and the two cars in front.

Tristan Pye from Bishop Auckland claimed 12th overall and fourth in class in his and Scottish co-driver Roger Herron's JPM Subaru, while Exelby's Chris Lewis and co-driver Plug Pulleyn (Easingwold) finished 18th overall and seventh in class.

Northallerton garage proprietor Charlie Taylor and co-driver Steve Beilby brought their Ford Escort in 25th overall and third in class as they were just the third two-wheel drive car to make the finish ramp.

Stockton's Andrew Davison and co-driver Sandie Taylor managed to get to the finish in their Peugeot 205 in 67th position overall and fifth in class, but West Rounton driver Chris Blake and co-driver Kari Bosworth from Pickhill retired on the final loop in their NTB Ford Escort Cosworth.

The same fate befell Hamsterley's Stephen Petch and co-driver Mike Wilkinson from Tow Law, who were leading their class in the SGP Motorsport Peugeot 206 when a broken suspension pitched them into a ditch and out of the rally.

Results. - 1 M Wilson/S Martin, Ford Focus WRC, 45min 20sec; 2 P Bird/I Windress, Ford Focus WRC, 45.48; 3 S Petch/J Richardson, Hyundai Accent WRC, 45.56; 4 S Perez/C Mole, Ford Focus WRC, 46.38; 5 D Wright/S Rogerson, Subaru Impreza, 47.31; 6 D Cormack/N Orr, Subaru Impreza WRC, 48.03; 7 D Hall/R Fagg, Mitsubishi Lancer 6, 48.20; 8 D Shuttleworth/S Megaw, Mitsubishi Lancer 4, 48.20; 9 T Thompson/J Dunning, Mitsubishi Lancer 8, 48.22; 10 N Cleland/J Wylie, Subaru Impreza, 48.25.

* Local aces Steve Petch and John Richardson (Hyundai Accent WRC) are hoping for better luck on the second annual Malton Forest Stages on Sunday after retiring on last year's inaugural Malton MC event, which once again comprises a round of the Walkers Garage Tecno 2 ANECCC Championship.

Fresh from a third place on last weekend's Grizedale Stages, the North Yorkshire pair will be first off through the forests in what is bound to be a hectic day of motor sport.

Challenging the former national champions will be the likes of Leeming driver Kevin Procter and his Northallerton co-driver Mike Gilby in the Motoscope Ford Puma 4x4, while the venerable MG Metro 6R4s of York drivers Warren Philliskirk and Andy Elliott will be snapping at their heels.

Local ace John Bannister heads the Subaru challenge and will definitely be one to watch, as will former Scottish champion Jimmy Christie in his Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 5.

County Durham driver Tony Thompson is another expected to do well, as are Leeds brothers Jeremy and Paul Nolan in their Ford Escort Cosworth.

Two-wheel drive action will also feature prominently with the sideways style of Morton on Swale's Charlie Taylor (Ford Escort) expected to challenge the likes of Malton's own Graham Willcock in his Opel Manta and Aiskew driver Bryan Gill, fresh from giving his Opel Kadett an outing on the recent Roger Albert Clark Rally.

Mitsubishi driver Matt Yeadon from Over Silton and Boltby co-driver Richard Shores revisit the forests which saw them score success in October's Trackrod Rally, while Hunton's Paul Lawson and co-driver Glynn Jackson from Catterick Village will be hoping for success in their Motoscope Ford Escort.

Other local drivers in action on the moors include Chris Blake, Chris Lewis, Dave Craven and Nick Cook, all of whom know the stages well.

There are two main spectator areas on the event which include Cropton Forest and the stage at Pickering Showground, which will also incorporate the service area.

Spectator parking at TVC Electrical (Malton) and Sony UK-sponsored Cropton Forest is via Spiers House caravan park (map reference 100/752 908) and at the ProSpeed Motorsport-backed Pickering Showground (100/802 819) off the A169. A charge of £5 per car will apply at both locations.

Holders of a Forest Enterprise car park ticket for Cropton will be entitled to park at Pickering Showground for just £2 upon production, but please note that paying to view at the Pickering Showground does not discount the parking at Cropton. Programmes priced at £1 each will be on sale at the spectator locations car park, with the money going to local charities.

Cropton 1: 9.04; Cropton 2: 11.01; Cropton 3: 1pm. Showground 1: 10.03; Showground 2: 12.02; Showground 3: 2.03. Service 1: 10.11; Service 2: 12.10.

Top ten entries. - 1 S Petch/J Richardson, Hyundai Accent WRC; 2 K Procter/M Gilby, Ford Puma 4x4; 3 J Bannister/K Rae, Subaru Impreza; 4 W Philliskirk/E Evans, MG Metro 6R4; 5 J Nolan/P Nolan, Ford Escort Cosworth; 6 A Robinson/I Robinson, Subaru Impreza; 7 A Elliott/P Pulleyn, MG Metro 6R4; 8 O Marshall/C Parry, Skoda Octavia WRC; 9 T Thompson/J Dunning, Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 8; 10 C Gabb/A Richardson, Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 4.

* With still a week to go until the closing date, demand for entries for the Specsavers Christmas Stages Rally at Croft on December 28 has far exceeded supply.

Northallerton Automobile Club have so far received nearly 120 applications for the 90 available places.

The first 70 drivers who applied have had their entries confirmed and the organisers will be selecting a further 20 crews from those entry forms which arrived after the initial places had been filled and those that come in up until Friday, December 17.

Entry forms, regulations and further information can be found at www.northallerton-ac.co.uk.