THERE were mixed fortunes for local crews at the SMC Stages Rally in association with Alsecure Group at Weeton Camp.

Andy Helm should have been sitting alongside Keith Taylor in the Subaru but gearbox problems meant they were unable to compete - and so he took up the left hand seat in the Peugeot 205 of Keith's brother Phil.

Unfortunately the gearbox broke enough after only two stages which meant the pair had to return home early

One car ahead of them was the Metro 1300 of Helen Davies - making her debut behind the wheel - co-driven by Morecambe's Katy Mashiter.

After a cautious start she was in second place in class when steering problems and a loose exhaust caused them to drop 40 seconds, which they could not get back over the last two stages.

This left Helen and Katy to pick up third in class on their first event together.

At the same time, Morecambe's Shelley Rogerson was finishing second in the 1400 class on the North Humberside Stages, making it a real weekend for the women.

The next event for the ProPrep Series is the Lion Stages on May 9 in Kidland Forest.