MINI man Steve Entwistle is up to second overall in the HRCR Clubmans Championship despite problems with his car on last weekend’s Ilkley Jubilee Classic.

Entwistle, from Rishton, and his Cumbrian-based navigator Bob Hargreaves had trouble with the electronic trip meter in their Orangebox Mini.

This lost them time on the regularity sections of the event, where crews have to use the trip meter accurately to measure their average speeds.

“It was disappointing as without the problem, which we have now traced to a faulty sensor, we would have been on for a top five result,” explained Entwistle.

But their pair were in great form on the special tests, where the trip meter isn’t needed.

Their new Mini Sport of Padiham built 1293cc engine didn’t miss a beat all day, with the 100bhp under the bonnet proving decisive on some of the longer tests.

The ex-Roy Mapple machine finished the day second overall on test times, beating Howard Warren’s Porsche 911 into third place and a podium place.

“The performance of the engine was one of the talking points among the other drivers,” said Entwistle.

“We were pulling 90mph in some of the longer quarry tests, only second seconds off the best 911 with some big commitment!

“Looking on the positive side, we still finished 12th overall, and the points we got for that has lifted us to second overall, which at this stage of the season, is really encouraging.”

Their next outing is the Chepstow-based Leukaemia Historic Rally on May 10.