TOP seed John Thompson put his name on the winners trophy for the second year running on the Grizedale Stages Rally.

But the Slaidburn farmer had to wait until the very last test to ensure victory, following a three-way battle with Jim Carty and Robert Wright.

With heavy snow making conditions treacherous, it was Wright and co-driver Gary Davison who stormed into a one-minute lead after the opening stage.

They maintained their pace at the front of the field until disaster struck on the final test when the exhaust on their Escort Cosworth broke, igniting the back of the car and forcing them to stop.

That handed victory to the similar Escort Cosworth of Thompson and co-driver Mal Capstick with the second-placed pairing of Carty and Fred Bell 35 seconds behind in their Metro 6R4. Mark Lakeland and Andy Sharples, from co-organising club Clitheroe DMC, finished 16th overall in their Ford Escort, one place ahead of Daniel Harper's Powerzone-backed Astra Sport.

Harper, from Barley, and co-driver Daniel Barritt looked set for a top 10 finish until they slid off into a ditch and lost two minutes while lying ninth overall.

Steve Cotton and Helen Singleton won their class after finishing 31st overall in their Skoda Felicia.

The new pairing of Chris Eastham and Lynsey Pilkington made a successful debut, bringing their RVL of Oswaldtwistle Astra Sport home 35th overall and 17th in class.

Organised jointly by Clitheroe and Furness Car Clubs, the event featured six gravel stages in and around the Grizedale Forest complex in Cumbria.

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