Motor Sport with Neil Johnson

COROLLA crew Mark Whitford and Steve Porter certainly knew which way to go on the first round of the SD34 road rally championship.

For the pair emerged worthy winners of Pendle DMC's Witch Way rally after a gruelling seven hours and 185 miles of driving through the lanes of Lancashire.

On their first attempt, the Toyota twosome dropped just four minutes and three seconds in penalties to claim victory from second-placed David Jones and Ian Tullie, in a Peugeot 309GTi.

The opening round of the Power Zone-sponsored series saw 35 crews set off from the Anchor Inn at Gargrave, with the first competitive sections starting at Edisford, Clitheroe, and Beacon Fell country park, near Chipping.

Last year's winners Carl Hawkins and David Campbell got no further than Brock Mill before retiring with gearbox problems on their Vauxhall Nova.

After burning the midnight oil building his new Peugeot 205GTi, former SD34 champion Terry Martin made it to the startline with just hours to spare. But electrical gremlins forced the Blackburn driver to pull out before the first petrol halt, although Martin and navigator Simon Bentley sportingly spent the rest of the night helping out with marshalling duties.

Surviving competitors took in the notorious Trough of Bowland road, the whites at Cow Ark and Haylotts, and Lythe Fell before returning to Gargrave for the finish at 6am.

Veterans Keith Watkinson and Jeff Smith swapped their usual Lotus Cortina for a Toyota Corolla and enjoyed an excellent run into ninth place, taking an early lead in Clitheroe DMC's own road rally championship.

Andrew Proctor and Jason Crook finished two places behind in 11th overall and third in the semi-experts class, driving their Vauxhall Astra GTE. Craig Dickinson and Kev Haworth, from organising club Pendle DMC, claimed 15th overall in their Mini 1275GT, one place ahead of fellow club member Paul Burns in his Skoda Favorit.

A combination of a slow puncture, no back brakes and grabbing front brakes prevented Steve Entwistle and Chris Day making a climb up the leaderboard in their historic Mini Cooper S.

But the pair had a storming run through Lythe Fell, clawing back seven minutes on lost time, before eventually finishing 20th overall.

Now in its third year, the Witch Way drew universal praise from competitors for the route and organisation.

Neil Bye, assistant clerk of the course, said: " It was a great event, and everyone really enjoyed themselves. We were lucky with the weather, as there was no rain or ice.

"Thanks to everyone who marshalled, officiated, competed or helped in any way. See you all again in 2001!" Results:

1: Mark Whitford/Steve Porter (Toyota Corolla GT); 2: David Jones/Ian Tullie (Peugeot 309GTi); 3: Gaven Smith/Michael Ogram (Nissan Sunny); 4: Malcolm Grisdale/Bob Hargreaves (Subaru); 5: Roger Ashmead/Alex Hoult (Peugeot 205GTi); 6: Chris Melling/Chris Wood (Astra GTE); 7: Nick Patrick/Mark Hodgson (Vauxhall Nova); 8: Ashley Hodge/Charles Jahn (Peugeot 205GTi); 9: Keith Watkinson/Jeff Smith (Toyota Corolla GT); 10: Anne Johnson/David Coggins (Nova); 11: Andrew Proctor/Jason Crook (Astra); 12: Roger Tristram/Stan Appleton (Peugeot 205GTi); 13: Steve Head/Andrew Dugdale (Nova SR); 14: Simon Tate/Adam Roper (Opel Manta) 15: Craig Dickinson/Kev Haworth (Mini 1275GT); 16: Paul Burns/Graham Wild (Skoda Favorit); 17: Chris Astley/Paul Coombes (Escort Mk2); 18: Brian Harrison/Leon Jones (Escort) 19: Tim Foster/Heidi Winstanley (Vauxhall Vectra); 20: Steve Entwistle/Chris Day (Mini Cooper S).

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.