THE battle for the BTRDA Gold Star title will go down to the wire following Martin Meadows' third place on the Woodpecker Stages.

The Proton pilot had a brilliant run on the two-day event, based in the Welsh forest, but was powerless to halt the progress of his rival Nik Elsmore, in a more powerful Nissan Sunny.

"There is simply nothing more I could have done," said Meadows afterwards.

"I drove the car through the stages as fast as it would go. We didn't make any mistakes, not even a half spin."

Meadows and co-driver Ian Oakey got off to a fine start, leading the Gold Star category after the opening day's four stages, despite the power disadvantage.

"We had a minor problem on the very first test when I cut a corner and found a stake hidden in the bushes. I thought it might have put a hole in the radiator, but luckily for us it just dented the bumper," he said.

The Sunday morning restart saw a short stage just outside Ludlow, Shropshire, before crews headed over the border for a mammoth 19-mile test in Radnor forest. Meadows had predicted that the stage, the longest in the entire BTRDA calendar, would be crucial in the fight for this year's title. And he was right.

Driving valiantly through the slippery tracks, he stopped the clocks with an average speed just short of 60mph.

Unfortunately, the 65bhp advantage enjoyed by rival Elsmore proved itself when he completed the stage 30 seconds faster.

Said Meadows: "The championship has swung in Nik's favour now. But there's one more rally to go and anything can happen.

"One thing's for sure, we'll be on the Cambrian next month aiming to be the first crew ever to win the Gold Star in a 1600cc car."

Silva Stages winner John Thompson slipped to third in the BTRDA Silver Star tables after finishing eighth overall on the Woodpecker Stages.

Thompson, from Slaidburn, and co-driver Dave McKinlay suffered from the unusually low retirement rate: just two leading crews failed to finish.

Going into the final round, the Escort Cosworth driver lies nine points behind leader Ian Joel, from Carnforth, and five points adrift of second-placed Theo Bengry.

Daniel Harper made a suprise appearance on the event, thrashing the class opposition in his Powerzone-backed Vauxhall Astra GSi.

Harper, from Barley, near Nelson, and co-driver Les Reger, from Burnley finished 38th overall and over a minute clear of N3 rival Paul Thomas, also in an Astra.

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