Bennett leads the Morris Lubricants BTRDA 1400 Championship after Cumbria victory

The second round of the Morris Lubricants BTRDA 1400 Championship moved up to Cumbria last weekend for the very popular Malcolm Wilson Rally.

After a very wet and muddy first round on the Wyedean Stages in February, the competitors were looking forward to better weather conditions and were rewarded with a fine day to compete through 45 miles of Lakeland forests.

Wyedean winners Mat Smith and Giles Dykes in the Ford KA took the early advantage by taking fastest times on the first two stages to lead Dave Bennett and Alastair McNeil (Vauxhall Corsa) by 13 seconds.

They in turn were 12 seconds ahead of the Warrington based pairing of Justin Lawson and Paul Hargreaves driving their Vauxhall Nova. However it was Lawson who turned the tables on the third stage by taking the fastest time and move into second place, four seconds behind Smith, who was starting to struggle with engine problems, whilst Bennett lost time with a spin.

Bennett, however, recovered on the fourth stage and jumped back into second place as he took the fastest time with Lawson dropping back to third.

A midday service in Penrith did not help Smith’s ailing KA and he retired on the following Grizedale stage, elevating Bennett to first place. Lawson finished the stage a further two seconds behind Bennett but now had an eight second deficit.

Ash Slights and Alex Lee from York moved up into third place in their Toyota Yaris but with a 26 second gap to Lawson would struggle to move higher up the podium places.

Over the remaining three stages, Bennett and McNeil were not to be caught as they reeled off a string of fastest stage times to take their first championship win of the year and, at the same time, the points lead in the Morris Lubricants BTRDA 1400 Championship after a second place on the Wyedean.

Lawson/Hargreaves were 28 seconds adrift but, after a year’s absence from the championship, will be pleased to also be in second place in the championship, four points behind. Slights’ third place finish also ensured he would sit in third place in the championship points table.

There is a now a five week break for the competitors until they move on to the third round, the Betta Somerset Stages based near Bridgwater, on April 12 with stages in the lovely surroundings of the Exmoor countryside.

Further details can be found on the championship website www.btrdarally.com