NEIL Bye stretched his lead in the SD34 Road Rally Championship after registering his best result of the year.

Bye, who was partnered by his father Stephen, finished an excellent third overall on last weekend's Morecambe Rally, driving their Ford Escort.

That left the Burnley-based pair three points ahead of second-placed Terry Martin and Simon Bentley, with the championship now at the halfway point.

"It was a good result for us, although I reckon we might have finished second if we hadn't been baulked on some of the sections," said Neil.

"The whites were fairly rough, forcing some of the drivers in front of us to take it steady. Our Escort has good ground clearance, so we could maintain our speed."

Championship rivals Martin and Bentley kept up the pressure on the leaders with a fine run into sixth place in their Peugeot 205GTi.

Martin, from Blackburn, and his Leeds-based navigator were denied a place in the top three after they lost a minute with a wrong slot near Woodacre Ford.

With Stephen Bye not registered for the series, Bentley is virtually assured of the navigators' title after collecting his fourth consecutive maximum points haul. Hoghton driver Chris Astley and mapman Paul Coombes collected the semi-expert award after finishing 7th overall in their Ford Escort MkII.

Simon Daly, from Clitheroe, and navigator David Oates, from Preston, brought their Fiesta XR2 home in 16th place and third in the semi-expert class, despite having to drive on the last competitive section with no clutch.

Back on the road rally calendar after a 12-year absence, the Morecambe Rally - sponsored by Lancaster brewers Mitchells and organised by Morecambe Car Club - attracted a small, but high quality entry of 28 cars.

The Ford Escorts of Paul Holberg/Dave Pitchford and eventual winners Kevin Ikin/Rob Jones led the field on a 130-mile route through North Lancashire, starting and finishing at the Greaves Hotel, Lancaster.

Result: 1: Kevin Ikin/Rob Jones (Escort); 2: Tudor Morris/Barry Green (Escort); 3: Neil Bye/Stephen Bye (Escort); 4: Michael Monaghan/Iain Tullie (Escort); 5: Peter Tyson/Neil Harrison (Mini Cooper); 6: Terry Martin/Simon Bentley (Peugeot 205GTi).

SD34 Championship: Drivers: 1: Neil Bye 38pts; 2:Terry Martin 35pts; 3: Jayne Hill 20pts. Navigators: 1: Simon Bentley 49pts; 2: Heidi Winstanley 18pts; 3: Jason Crook 16 pts.

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