STEVE Entwistle is in the driving seat of the HRCR Clubmans Championship after a giant-killing performance on last weekend’s Ilkley Jubilee Rally.

The Rishton-based driver pulled off his best-ever result in the series, finishing second overall in his ex-Roy Mapple Orangebox Mini to lead the competition.

And Entwistle also notched up his second class win of the season, beating his nearest rival, experienced stage driver Darrell Staniforth by almost a minute.

“It was one of those rare days when everything clicked, and everything went our way,” explained Entwistle, who had Newcastle-based Ali Proctor on the maps for the first time.

“The car didn’t miss a beat, I didn’t get any of the special tests wrong and Ali’s timing on the regularities was spot-on.”

The pair were in the hunt for an historic first-ever HRCR throughout the day, sandwiched between the two front-runners for the title, father and son Howard and Matt Warren.

Despite giving away almost 100bhp to his rivals, who were driving a Porsche 911 and a 2-litre Ford Escort respectively, the iconic little 1293cc Mini was snapping at Howard Warren’s heels all day.

After an action-packed day of 13 special tests, which included Coldstones Quarry in the Yorkshire Dales, and seven long regularity sections, the pair finished just 27 seconds down on the Porsche.

And Entwistle paid tribute to the work of his co-driver, saying: “Although it was his first time in the car, Ali was calm and unruffled which helped my driving.

“It was just the result I needed to mount a real title challenge. We made a solid start with fifth on the opening round, the Tour of Cheshire, then had a disaster on the North Yorkshire Classic, when all sorts of problems conspired against us.

“This puts us right back at the front, and we aim to stay there.”