Round 4: Rainsworth Dukeries Rally, 9 June

Julian Wilkes and co-driver Will Rutherford-Child extended their lead at the top of the championship standings with a class win on the Rainsworth Dukeries Rally in the Sherwood forests of Nottinghamshire.

The pair won their category by 90 seconds after being fastest on all 12 stages. In contrast Neil Matthews crashed his Nova out on SS1 and now drops to third place in the title race. Moving up two places to second is Mick Smith in his standard 1.4 Rally First Micra.

Early championship contender Allan McDowall had a fraught day in his Opel Kadett, suffering a rear-end collision with a tree and a four-mile drive on a puncture on the final stage but has still managed to reach fourth place in the standings.

Results – class winners
E5 Boyd Kershaw / Bryan Hull (Ford Escort) 43m08sE4 David Poyser / John Orme (Honda Civic) 51m37sE3 Robert Wheeler / Chris Wheeler (VW Golf) 50m37sE2 Julian Wilkes / Will Rutherford (Vauxhall Nova) 44m11sE1 Joe Evett / Calvin Houldsworth (MG ZR) 48m29s

Provisional standings after Round 41 Julian Wilkes – 100 points2 Mick Smith – 853 Neil Matthews – 74 4 Allan McDowall – 735 Nigel Jenkins – 72