BLACKBURN’S John Stone maintained his 100 per cent finishing record to retake first position in the tussle for the MSA Asphalt Rally Championship.

The businessman was in scintillating form on the Hinckley-based Rally of the Midlands, finishing runner-up by less than a minute.

Stone, managing director of Legend Fires at Whitebirk, got off to a slow start, setting equal 10th quickest time on the first of the 20 stages over two days. At the end of the first leg, he reported problems with the launch control on his ex-Harri Rovapera Skoda Fabia WRC and a wrong tyre choice.

A spin and a double ‘wrong slot’ on the morning’s stage at MIRA, the Motor Industry proving ground, caused more problems for the hard-charging Stone and co-driver Lee Carter. But from there on, the pair posted four outright fastest times and one joint fastest time to seal their day long battle with Simon Mauger’s Ford Escort Mk2.

That was enough to give them their fourth podium finish in a row, and take the lead of the drivers and co-drivers table.

Outright victory went to Damian Cole and Craig Drew in a Ford Focus WRC 06 – their third maximum points score in the series.

Included in the season calendar for the first time, the next round of the REIS MSA Asphalt Rally Championship is the Dublin-based ALMC Stages Rally on Sunday, July 18.