WARTON'S Stuart Newby overcame constant technical problems to finish fifth in his first race of the season, the Rali Gogless Cymru.

Stuart and his navigator, Paul Holmberg, started well in the 150-mile race through the muddy and challenging Welsh lanes.

However, at around the halfway point the car was stalling whenever the handbrake was used, which cost a few seconds.

Worse was to come when the rear suspension was damaged and a temporary repair had to be carried out at the petrol stop.

After the petrol stop, Stuart and Paul tackled the well-known Horseshoe Pass stages, eventually finishing behind the winners, a Welsh crew in a Toyota Celica.

Stuart said: "We were quite pleased with the result as we had only finished building the car ten hours prior to the event."

Stuart and Paul now head for their next race, the Memorial Road Rally organised by Garstang and Preston Motor Club on March 9 and 10.