Marty McCormack and Phil Clarke took their third win from four rallies in the Wales Rally Spares R.A.C. Rally Championship after a superb battle on Neath Valley Stages (Saturday 10 August).After a fabulous day of competition, McCormack/Clarke headed the similar Ford Escort Mk2 of Nick Elliott and Dave Price by just seven-tenths of a second after 45 flat out stage miles in the Rheola and Margam complexes.To show just how competitive things are at the head of the championship, Jason Pritchard/Dale Furniss and Matt Edward/Sam Collis finished within 20 seconds of McCormack. Other notable championship series winners included Terry Cree and Richard Shores, who topped series 2 in their BMW 2002 and Mark Spencer/Steve Pugh who claimed series 7 in their Ford Escort Mk2.Series winners were:Series 1: Chris Tooze/Jo Tooze (Singer Chamois)Series 2: Terry Cree/Richard Shores (BMW 2002)Series 3: Marty McCormack/Phil Clarke (Ford Escort Mk2)Series 4: Jason Pritchard/Dale Furniss (Ford Escort Mk2)Series 6: Steve Perez/Sasha Heriot (Datsun 260Z)Series 7: Mark Spencer/Steve Pugh (Ford Escort Mk2)The Neath Valley Stages, organised by Three Counties Car Club, drew universal acclaim from championship contenders who praised the organisation, the format and, most of all, the stages. Former British Rally Champion Jimmy McRae was one of many drivers who arrived at the finish wanting to go round the stages again, such was the quality of the gravel roads used. The stages were fantastic, said McCormack with a view echoed by every finisher.