TERRY Martin showed the form that made him SD34 champion when he finished sixth overall on the Danum Road Rally.

The Blackburn businessman looked set for at least second place on the fiercely-competitive Doncaster-based event, but a wrong slot after the petrol halt forced Martin and co-driver Simon Bentley to settle for a very creditable result. Over 50 cars and crews started this year's Danum, with a possible winner from any of the top ten seeds.

Pennine Rally winners Graham Hepworth and Ian Tullie led the field in their Vauxhall Nova, with Witch Way winners Carl Hawkins and Dave Campbell at two also in a Nova, and Pendle DMC's Jon Lawson and Chris Pringle rounding off the top three in their Peugeot 106 Rallye.

Four other teams made the trip over the Pennines, with Martin and Bentley at 14 in their Whitefield Motorists Discount Store 205GTi, Keith Turner/Howard Winstanley (Volkswagen Golf), Andrew Proctor/Jason Crook (Astra), and Simon Daly/Paul Sharples (XR2) among the runners.

From the Doncaster start, the rally action moved into the Yorkshire Wolds, where Turner made a slow start, losing 24 minutes in the first half of the night.

Lawson suffered electrical gremlins and lost his spotlights for a 20-mile section, while navigator Crook booked his driver in early at seven consecutive controls.

Martin and Bentley were lying joint second overall with Carl Hawkins at the petrol halt, having dropped only one minute.

But the pair lost ground - and time - when they went off on a 60 degree left over crest.

Hawkins tightened his grip on the rally - and the ANWCC championship - dropping just 1.03 seconds in the second half to win the event by 24 seconds.

Martin's navigator Simon Bentley then made an uncharacteristic error and wrong slotted, losing four minutes and the chance of a top three placing.

Lawson and Pringle finished fifth overall, once place ahead of Martin and Bentley, with Turner and Winstanley 17th overall and second novice.

Proctor and Crook finished third novice, with Daly and Sharples retiring from the action.

The next round of the Preston College SD34 Road Rally Championship is the Gordon Musgrove Memorial, organised by Garstang and Preston MC, on June 19-20.

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