Teenager Wilson savours victory (From Gazette & Herald)

Teenager Wilson savours victory

Teenage sensation Matthew Wilson savoured the biggest win of his career so far when he steered his Eddie Stobart Ford Focus to success on the Trackrod Rally Yorkshire at Pickering Showground.

Wilson, whose season began catastrophically with a serious accident on the Rally of Wales, made much of the early running before being overhauled by team-mate Mark Higgins on the opening stage of Sunday's second leg.

But Higgins, the winner of the Trackrod Rally last year, lost more than 40 seconds when he overshot a junction in Staindale, and Wilson needed no further invitation to power through the remaining three stages and take his first-ever Kwik-Fit Pirelli British Rally Championship victory.

"I'm on top of the world," said Wilson, the 18-year-old son of 1994 British Champion Malcolm Wilson, "After two years doing the BRC, I wanted to win a round. This has made up for everything else that has happened this year."

Higgins was disappointed not to repeat his 2004 victory but still had plenty to celebrate as second place was enough to clinch a second British title to add to the one he took in 1997.

"It's not a perfect result for me but a perfect result for the Eddie Stobart team, said Welsh-based Higgins, who does not even need to go to final Tempest South of England Rally to be crowned champion.

Jonny Milner emerged as victor from a dramatic Group N Production Class, where rivals and fellow Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 8 drivers Rory Galligan and David Higgins both lost the lead through transmission failure.

Milner had not driven a showroom standard car since 2000 and never a Mitsubishi, but the success of this venture has furthered his aim to do the entire championship again next season.

Bridgend's Leon Pesticcio claimed the S1600 class in a Suzuki Ignis, with Finland's Vesa Mikkola - son of the 1983 World Champion, on his first rally in the UK - taking the two-litre Formula Two category driving a Renault Clio Ragnotti.

Harrogate's Tim Pearcey scored a double when winning the Trackrod National Rally, run over Saturday's eight stages, then the Trackrod Clubman's Trophy Rally less than 24 hours later, over Sunday's remaining six timed tests.

Pearcey, in a Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 6, beat Driffield's John Bannister twice, the second time recovering from a disastrous opening forest stage at Givendale, and only edging ahead on the Cropton stage.

Pearcey was delighted despite a sizable dent in the rear left hand corner of his car, saying: "This is by far the best weekend of my rallying career. We had three offs and hit a tree in Dalby and I must admit things looked pretty grim at that point."

David Stokes won the opening day's Historic Rally, an event which becomes more popular every year, by nearly a minute driving a Ford Escort RS1600.

York's Pete Slights took the Classic Class for cars built after 1975 but before 1981 in another two-wheel drive Escort, while Stuart Rolt's 40-year old Porsche 911 grabbed the honours in the pre-1967 'Historic' category.

Updated: 15:00 Wednesday, October 12, 2005