SUCH was the pace on last weekend's Pirelli Tour of Cumbria Rally that local co-driver Paul Spooner came home in third place just ten seconds behind winner Marcus Dodd in a Hyundai Accent WRC.
Spooner entered the event with Steve Perez in a Ford Focus WRC 07, and in second-place was
Paul Bird in the exact same Ford model.
Securing a second podium position out of the last two starts this year was a good result for Spooner and Perez, and after sixty eight hard dusty stage miles the crew was satisfied with third place.
Spooner will compete on next weekend's Somerset Stages rally with Michael O' Brian in a ford Focus WRC.
The Pirelli International rally took place over the same stages and was the second round of the Pirelli British Rally Championship.
Keith Cronin won the second successive round in a Mitsubishi Lancer EVO 9 with Mid Wales residents Mark Higgins and Bryan Thomas second just two seconds behind in a Subaru Impreza N11.
Third overall were Scots David Bogie and Kevin Rae in a Mitsubishi Lancer EVO 9. The event saw high drama when Julian Wilkes in a Proton S2000 car, who was leading the rally at the time, leapt from the car which burst into flames on stage eight.
The veichle was quickly turned in to molten metal and four fire appliances were called to the scene.
Wayne Bonsor and Richard Aston from Black Rock near Abergavenny made the journey up to Carlisle and entered the Pirelli Historic section of the rally.
Comprising of six forest special stages the crew made it up to twelfth overall and third in class after stage four.
In their immaculate Ford Escort Mk 2 RS 2000 they eventually finished fifteenth overall and fourth in class.