Ambleside driver Graham Gaskell and Kendal navigator Heather Grisedale took to the stages at the weekend for the John Overend Rally, based near York.

It was Heather's first stage rally, but she took to it like an old hand once she got over the nerves in the build-up.

Dust and heat caused problems, but after two stages Gaskell and Grisedale had opened a slender one-second lead in their class and they built their lead in the Nova to almost 15 seconds by the lunch break. Gaskell clipped a tyre and bent a steering arm on stage five, leaving the car crabbing down the road with its front wheels pointing in different directions. At service it was unclear if they could get it fixed in the 35 minutes allowed but the service team managed with three minutes to spare. They went on to finish the rally untroubled to take 22nd overall and first in the 1300 class by 58 seconds.