LADY luck was certainly on the side of Carnforth's Steve Head during the weekend as Team Penguin contested the first round of the Skoda Trophy.

Running within the Vauxhall Rally of Wales, the first round of the Mobil One British Rally championship, the local crew suffered on the rugged Welsh forest stages, as did many crews including both Seat Cupra Sport's Evo 2's, driven by Gwyndaf Evans and Barbara Armstrong.

Electrical problems were the first to impede Head's progress as he struggled to get to the start of the third stage. The final straw came when the differential snapped on a steep uphill section putting them out of the event. At one point they went over a blind crest only to find a fellow competitor on his roof in the road. After much pushing and rolling the crew were back upright and the spectators sent him on his way.

As the event used mileage on Saturday and Sunday, the crews were able to re-start on Sunday if they could resolve their problems, which Head and Dugdale had repaired overnight.

Although struggling to find gears in the scrap-yard replacement gearbox, they finished second in the class and put 27 points on the board. The next round is the Pirelli International which is based in Carlisle on April 24 and 25, and uses the Border forests that are popular with local crews.

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