February 1998



01.02.98 - CHAMONIX 24 HRS
Nigel Mansell's return to racing ended ended in disappointment in the final of the Chamonix 24 Hours ice race. Mansell and team mate Ari Vatanen made good performances in both morning heats to qualify for the grand final. However their Ford Escort had suffered right rear wheel and suspension damage and was forced to run on two-wheel drive for the final. Vatanen limped into the pits after 12 laps and the car broke down completely to deny Mansell a final Chamonix drive.





03.02.98 - F1
China is certain to become part of the Formula One circuit by 1999. Bernie Ecclestone told the South China Morning Post he was certain the Chinese city of Zhuhai would host part of the grand prix circuit next year. Ecclestone said: "Whatever happens with Belgium and France, Formula One will race in Zhuhai next year. I am sure. FIA has been trying to move some of the races to Asia and this is something FIA and myself want to see happen. It will happen if everything is ready."





04.02.98
F1:- Mika Hakkinen was fastest in practice in his McLaren at the Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona on Tuesday. He clocked a best time of one minute, 22.97 seconds in the afternoon after rain had cut short the morning session. World champion Jacques Villeneuve recorded the best time by any of the cars designed to the new rules, making 1:25.09 in his 1998 Williams. The 1996 champion Damon Hill was seventh fastest as he built up his prepartions for his debut with Jordan.

Craig Wilson has joined Williams from Tyrrell to be Heinz Harald-Frentzen's race engineer for the new season.



TOURING CARS:- John Bintcliffe and Yvan Muller's new front-wheel-drive Audi A4s will run on Michelin tyres in this year's Auto Trader British Touring Car Championship They are expected to test for the first time in Britain at Oulton Park next month before making their BTCC debut at Thruxton on Easter Monday, April 13. Audi Sport UK team director John Wickham said: "Dunlop played a significant role for us. But it's time to move on and I look forward to working with Michelin."






05.02.98
F1:- McLaren Mercedes have unveiled their new car with team boss Ron Dennis playing down praise heaped on it. "The predictions of potential success are flattering but our feet are firmly on the ground," he said. "We have no interest in predicting our competitiveness but it is hard to believe we could have worked harder designing and building the new MP4/13." David Coulthard and Mika Hakkinen will begin testing the new car in Barcelona next Wednesday.



SWEDISH RALLY:- Colin McRae attempts to become the first non-Scandinavian to win the Swedish rally starting on Friday. McRae, third in the world championship opener, has to hold a string of Scandinavians at bay including world champion Tommi Makinen. Also in the field is Spaniard Carlos Sainz and McRae is confident of beating his great rival. "It's going to happen some time. Why not now?" said McRae, who spun out of contention on the final day last year.






06.02.98
F1:- Heinz-Harald Frentzen re-established Williams as the benchmark team when he broke the Barcelona lap record. Frentzen clocked 1:23.40 around the circuit de Catalunya, two-tenths of a second faster than Ralf Schumacher's best time for Jordan set last month. Italian Giancarlo Fisichella was second fastest in the Benetton, setting a best lap of 1:24.22.



SWEDISH RALLY:- Colin McRae was relishing the prospect of overnight snow after finishing fifth in the opening leg. World champion Tommi Makinen ended the day just 24 seconds behind leader Thomas Radstrom with Spaniard Carlos Sainz third. But McRae, who has a four-second advantage over sixth-placed Finn Juha Kankkunen, is well placed to mount a challenge in his Subaru. "The forecast of snow overnight will help us enormously," said McRae.


Positions after stage 8   hr mns.secs
 1 Radstrom   Toyota Corolla  1:19.42
 2 Makinen    Mitsubishi Lan  1:20.06
 3 Sainz      Toyota Corolla  1:20.52
 4 Gronholm   Toyota Celica   1:20.53
 5 McRae      Subaru Impreza  1:21.08
 6 Kankkunen  Ford Escort WRC 1:21.13
 7 Auriol     Toyota Corolia  1:21.14
 8 Eriksson   Subaru Impreza  1:21.23
 9 Nittel     Mitsubishi Car  1:22.18
10 Thiry      Ford Escort     1:22.55





07.02.98
SWEDISH RALLY:- Britain's Colin McRae was forced to retire on stage 12 because of an electrical problem with his Subaru. McRae was lying fourth when he had to pull out and revealed: "The engineers will obviously have to confirm what the problem was but I feel gutted." Tommi Makinen leads the field with an overall time of two hours, 41 minutes, 23.1 seconds after the second day. The Finn admitted: "My performance has never been so good on this stage in past years. I put in maximum effort."

Positions after leg 2        hr min sec
 1 Makinen    Mitsubishi Lan  2:41.23
 2 Kankkunen  Ford Escort WRC 2:42.46
 3 Sainz      Toyota Corolla  2:43.01
 4 Eriksson   Subaru Impreza  2:43.28
 5 Auriol     Toyota Corolia  2:43.40
 6 Gronholm   Toyota Celica   2:44.32
 7 Nittel     Mitsubishi Car  2:45.32
 8 Thiry      Ford Escort     2:46.31
 9 Liatti     Subaru Impreza  2:47.23
10 Jonsson    Ford Escort     2:48.13

WYEDEAN FOREST RALLY:- David Mann triumphed in the event to give Proton their first national rally win in Britain. He finished four seconds ahead of the Nissan Sunny driven by Nik Elsmore after the eight-stage competition. Theo Bengry clinched third spot in his Mitsubishi Lancer, while Geoff Smith guided his Escort Cosworth to fourth. Marcus Dodd was the only major retirement. He had to drop out on the opening stage because the propshaft broke on his Escort Cosworth.

Final positions:               min sec
 1 D Mann     Proton            46.24
 2 N Elsmore  Nissan Sunny      46.28
 3 T Bengry   Mitsubishi L      46.28
 4 G Smith    Escort Cosworth   46.35
 5 M Lawn     Mitsubishi L      46.47
 6 G Robinson Escort Cosworth   47.03
 7 B Bell     Mitsubishi L      47.17
 8 S Winter   MG Metro 6R4      47.25
 9 A Williams Sierra Cosworth   47.41
10 G Smith    Escort Cosworth   47.56

NASCAR:- Terry Labonte clocked the fastest lap on the opening day of practice ahead of the first day of time trials for the Daytona 500 on February 15. Penske driver Rusty Wallace was second fastest. The next Florida session will determine the front-row starters for the opening 1998 Winston Cup event.



RALLYSPRINT:- Ex-Formula One champion Jody Scheckter crashed out in the semi-final of the TV Challenge Rallysprint at Silverstone. Tim Harvey lost to to 1991 BTCC champion Will Hoy in the final.






08.02.98
SWEDISH RALLY:- Tommi Makinen drove his Mitsubishi to victory in the event, finishing 51.6 seconds ahead of Carlos Sainz. The Spaniard's runner-up position means he still leads the World Championship after two rounds. Finnish ace Juha Kankkunen steered his Ford into third place in Sweden, while Kenneth Eriksson was fourth in front of his home spectators. Britain's Colin McRae, who just missed out on the world crown last year, was forced to retire on the second day.

Final positions:             hr min sec
 1 Makinen    Mitsubishi Lan  3:32.51
 2 Sainz      Toyota Corolla  3:33.43
 3 Kankkunen  Ford Escort WRC 3:30.50
 4 Eriksson   Subaru Impreza  3:35.23
 5 Gronholm   Toyota Celica   3:36.21
 6 Auriol     Toyota Corolla  3:36.49
 7 Nittel     Mitsubishi Car  3:37.35
 8 Thiry      Ford Escort     3:38.59
 9 Liatti     Subaru Impreza  3:40.38
10 Jonsson    Ford Escort     3:41.05
15 Burns      Mitsubishi Car


Driver standings              Points
1 C Sainz     Sp    Toyota      16
2 J Kankkunen Fin   Ford        10
= T Makinen   Fin   Mitsubishi  10
4 C McRae     GB    Subaru       4
5 P Liatti    It    Subaru       3
= K Eriksson  Swe   Subaru       3
7 R Burns     GB    Mitsubishi   2

Manufacturer standings:
1 Toyota          16
2 Mitsubishi      12
3 Ford            11
4 Subaru          10

NASCAR:- Rusty Wallace gave Ford Taurus a debut win in the Bud Shoot-out at Daytona International Speedway in Florida. The 25-lap event was for last year's NASCAR Winston Cup pole-winners.





10.02.98 - F1
The Tyrrell-Ford team have announced that Brazilian Ricardo Rosset will fill their second spot in the World Championship this season. Rosset makes the switch from the Lola team, who withdrew from the competition after just one event last year. "This is obviously a big opportunity for me," said Rosset. Team boss Steve Nielsen added: "Ricardo has a lot of driving talent, but he hasn't had the right circumstances to show what he can do in Formula One."





11.02.98 - F1
Finn Mika Hakkinen fired a warning to McLaren's rivals when he broke the winter lap record in Barcelona by more than one second during testing. Hakkinen's best lap at the end of the first day at the Circuit de Catalunya was one minute 22.02 seconds. He improved on Heinz-Harald Frentzen's previous benchmark time for Williams of 1:23.32 set last week. Damon Hill was fourth fastest on Wednesday with a best lap of 1:25.40 in the Jordan.





12.02.98
F1:- Fears that the Belgian Grand Prix will be axed have increased after an appeals court ruled it could not overturn a government ban on tobacco advertising. The International Automobile Federation are expected to announce the future of the Spa-Francorchamps race next week. Organisers may go to the Supreme Court but it may be too late for the race. However, FIA president Max Mosley told a French publication: "Hopefully a solution will be found. Losing the Spa race would be a sporting disaster."

Former world champion Damon Hill and Ralf Schumacher completed their second day of testing for Jordan at the Catalunya circuit in Barcelona. Hill was hampered by an engine change but he managed a best time of one minute, 25.52 seconds in 26 laps. Schumacher clocked a best time of 1:23.69 in his 59 laps and the team will again test in Spain next week instead of returning to Silverstone. Meanwhile, Jordan have signed a fuel deal with Repsol.

Brazilian ace Rubens Barrichello was "well satisfied" after the second day of testing in the Stewart-Ford SF-2 at Barcelona's Circuit de Catalunya. Much is expected of the team after last year's debut campaign and, with reliability a crucial factor, the signs are looking good. Barrichello confirmed: "In terms of reliability it is going well. We are still trying out a few things on the car so the times we are doing are not an accurate guide."



SCOTTISH RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP:- Reigning Scottish and Mintex Rally champion Brian Lyall heads the entry list for the opening meeting of the season at Inverness this weekend. Former champion Raymond Munro, Andy Horne, Jon Burn and Jim Carty will be challenging the Subaru Impreza driver. Ford Escort Cosworth drivers Marcus Dodd, Duncan Jaffray and Alan Dickson and Chris Wagner in an Audi Quattro S2 are also in contention. The race takes in five stages north of Inverness and one above Loch Ness.



F.PALMER AUDI:- Hampshire's Sam Hancock has signed up for Formula Palmer Audi as the 20 1998 drives for the new discipline look set to be taken. Hancock, 18, consistently finished in the top six in Vauxhall Junior last season and was 10th overall. "After a season in FVJ I am much more confident in my ability," he said. Fifteen drives have been confirmed for FPA and supremo Jonathan Palmer revealed: "There is now no question of the 20 drives being filled."






13.02.98
F1:- David Coulthard was fastest in practice for McLaren in Barcelona on Friday. The Briton set a best lap time of one minute, 22.52 seconds after Mika Hakkinen had set winter testing lap records on the previous two days. Austrian Alexander Wurz was second fastest behind Coulthard in a Benetton, over a second adrift of the Scot. Damon Hill also turned in a good display as he warms up for his debut with Jordan, finishing fourth fastest behind teammate Ralf Schumacher.



CHEVIOT RALLY:- The Apex Cheviot National Rally kicks off the Macadam Championship this weekend, with defending champion John Price looking for glory. The MG Metro 6R4 driver has won the Cheviot contest for the past two years and triumphed in the Lindisfarne Rally in January. John Brodie, another former Cheviot winner, will be challenging for honours in his Escort Coasworth. Tony Morris and Chris Griffiths could also be among the front-runners.






14.02.98 - SCOTTISH RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP
Reigning Scottish and Mintex Rally champion Brian Lyall won the opening round in wet and soggy forests. Lyall was fastest on all six timed tests, despite losing sixth gear over the final two stages. Jim Carty finished second ahead of Hamed Al Wahaibi who came third.

1 Lyall/Forrest       Subaru
2 Carty/Bell          MG Metro
3 Al-Wahaibi/Harryman Mitsubishi
4 Burn/Quirk          MG Metro
5 Nicoll/Law          Ford Escort





15.02.98
CHEVIOT RALLY:- John Price won the Cheviot National Rally for the third consecutive year. Price, driving a Metro 6R4, finished the 12 stages in one hour, 12 minutes, 17 seconds to beat John Brodie in a Ford Escort Cosworth by nine seconds. Chris Griffiths was third in his first drive in his new Subaru Impreza while David Robson was fourth driving a Ford Escort Cosworth. The next round of the Safety Devices Championship is the Tour of Epynt in Wales on Easter Saturday, April 11.



NASCAR:- Dale Earnhardt claimed victory in the Daytona 500 race in Florida at the 20th attempt in front of 185,000 fans. Bobby Labonte in a Pontiac was second with Jeremy Mayfield third in a Ford. Earnhardt led five times for 107 of the 200 laps but was not assured of victory until John Andretti and Lake Speed clashed on lap 199. He collected $1m for his efforts and said: "I can't believe we won it in the fashion we did. I wasn't crying in pit row but the eyes were watering up."






16.02.98
F1:- The Hungarian Government have announced that they will continue to give financial support to the grand prix at the Hungaroring. Money has been earmarked for promoting and improving the circuit, which hosts this year's race on August 16. Trade and Industry minister Szabolcs Fazakas said: "The event is of great value to Hungary, in terms of our image and the tourist trade." Last year's race broke attendance and receipt records.

David Coulthard broke the winter testing record in his McLaren. Coulthard's best lap at the Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona was 1:21.58. It was three-tenths of a second faster than The previous benchmark set by teammate Mika Hakkinen last Thursday. Sauber's Johnny Herbert was second fastest more than three seconds behind Scot Coulthard.



BRITISH RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP:- Bradford-based Stephanie and Rachael Simmonite will lead Ford's charge in the Mobil 1 British Rally Championship, which begins on Saturday. The Rally Sprint at Silverstone kicks off the campaign and the sisters will be driving an Escort Super Rally car. Last year's experiment of allocating championship points at the end of each leg of the Pirelli Rally has been extended to the Scottish Rally. "It is more of a thinking championship this year," said Stephanie.






17.02.98
F1:- Arrows chief Tom Walkinshaw is aiming for a fresh start this season as he bids for success. Technical problems have hit the build-up to the new campaign and the team lack the experience of Damon Hill after his switch to Jordan. Mika Salo partners Pedro Diniz but Walkinshaw said: "I rate Mika highly or else he would not be on the team. We felt the pressure of Damon Hill last year. This season the team will be able to focus and get back to basics."



RALLYSPRINT:- Jason Plato will be partnered by TV gladiator Rio in Saturday's Silverstone Rallysprint, the opening round of the Mobil 1 British Championship. BTCC Williams Renault ace Plato and Rio will be driving a Maxi Megane in aid of children's charity SPARKS.






18.02.98
F1:- The Belgian Grand Prix will go ahead this year after the local government skirted a ban on tobacco advertising. The FIA had threatened to drop the race from the calendar if the dispute was not sorted out but the Walloon regional government resolved the situation. Spa circuit spokesman Andre Maes said: "On Friday our situation looked pretty bleak but now we can finally get back to the work we're supposed to do." The FIA confirmed the race will be run as planned on August 30.



RALLYING:- Ari Vatanen has been named in Ford's team for the Safari Rally at the end of February after Bruno Thiry was injured. Thiry fractured five ribs in a car crash on Monday and should be released from hospital in Nairobi on Thursday. The 1981 world champion Vatanen, who has only appeared in a few rallies since 1994, will have a testing session in Kenya later this week. "We're delighted to welcome Ari back into the fold," said Ford team director Malcolm Wilson.






19.02.98
F1:- Mika Hakkinen became the second driver in four days to break the Formula One winter testing record in his McLaren in Barcelona on Thursday. The Finnish driver beat the previous mark set by David Coulthard with a best lap of one minute, 21.41 seconds. "I am pleased with the performance of the car so far but it is still early days," said Hakkinen. Germany's Ralf Schumacher set Jordan's best lap time of the winter when he clocked 1:22.47.



RALLYSPRINT:- The 1998 Mobil 1 RAC British Rally Championship gets underway this weekend with a manufacturers' round at Silverstone. The star studded field will include drivers from both rallying and racing as the teams aim to get a flying start to the season. They will be using the new enhanced RallySprint course which has had a new flying yump added since the Network Q RAC Rally in November. Top entrants include previous Championship winners Gwyndaf Evans (SEAT) and Alister McRae (Volkswagen), as well as Flying Finn Pennti Arikkala in the Ford Escort Maxi. Jason Plato, Renault's touring car ace, will be hoping to emulate fellow racing driver Will Hoy who won the RallySprint Celebrity Challenge recently. The event will pause at 1.30pm to allow the RallySprint circuit to be dedicated to the late Roger Clark.






20.02.98 - F1
Ken Tyrrell has announced he will retire from Formula One with immediate effect. The 73-year-old chairman of the Tyrrell Racing Organisation, which was bought out by British American Racing, has decided to step down. Tyrrell's son Bob, who is business development director, has also decided to leave with his father. Technical director Harvey Postlethwaite now also takes up the post of managing director of Tyrrell this season.





21.02.98 - RALLYSPRINT
Gwyndaf Evans won both RallySprint events for SEAT Cupra Sport after a tense afternoon of qualifying. Evans' service crew had to replace a broken rear beam after swiping the armco during his third run. During the close final against Tapio Laukkanen, Evans' co-driver Howard Davies saw Tapio clip a barrier and knew that they had the edge. Evans eventually took the honours by just three tenths of a second.

The Silverstone RallySprint saw the debut of the Proton works team in this year's Mobil 1 Rally Championship. Driver Jennie Davies enjoyed a trouble-free run and was one of the few not to suffer spins during the qualifying rounds. Davies was very happy with the car and was impressed with its handling in the slippery conditions. "I can't wait to get into the forests on the next round in Wales," she said.


DRIVERS POSITIONS
1st Gwyndaf Evans     SEAT
2nd Tapio Laukkanen   Renault
3rd Martin Rowe       Renault
4th Alister McRae     Volkswagen


MANUFACTURERS POSITIONS
1st SEAT                  32.0
2nd Volkswagen            26.5
==  Renault               26.5
4th Ford                  22.0
5th Peugeot               20.0
6th Vauxhall              18.0
7th Proton                16.0






22.02.98 - RALLYING
Tapio Laukkanen believes he can win this year's Mobil 1 British Championship after an encouraging debut for Renault. A braking mistake cost the Finn victory in the second of the two events at the Silverstone Rally Sprint. However, he said: "Everyone at Renault was quite pleased and I think we have a good chance to win the championship. Laukkanen was recruited from Volkswagen and added: "It was a nice start for my new team and it looks like I am quick."





23.02.98 - F.RENAULT SPORT
Rob Austin, who is just 17-years-old, has signed to drive a Tatuus for Alain Menu's team in this year's Formula Renault Sport series.





24.02.98
F.PALMER AUDI:- The latest name to be confirmed for the Formula Palmer Audi Championship is Stephen White. Twenty-four-year-old Australian Formula One hopeful White has previously raced in Europe but spent last year in the Australian V8 Super Car Series. In 1994 he raced in the British Formula Ford series, finishing fourth overall, and in 1996 he was third in the British Formula Renault Sport Championship. "The car will be new to me but I have raced on all the circuits," said White.



SILVERSTONE:- Silverstone are looking for people who have worked or competed at the circuit ahead of this year's 50th anniversary celebrations on October 2. It will be 50 years to the day since the Northamptonshire track hosted the first pre-war grand prix in Britain. Over 20,000 people are expected to attend the Golden Jubilee party.






25.02.98 - CHAMP CARS
Mark Blundell launches his bid for title glory at Florida's Homestead oval on March 15. The ex-McLaren Formula One driver is one of the favourites for success but he believes any one of a dozen drivers could take the overall crown. "In Formula One the few people who are in the best cars and have the best package come out on top," he said. "In CART there is not a great difference between the cars, so you could pick 10 to 12 people."





26.02.98
MURRAY WALKER:- Murray Walker has brought an end to his 50-year association with the BBC after deciding not to commentate on the British Touring Car Championship. The BBC will announce a new commentary team after Walker, 74, chose to concentrate solely on Formula One. He said: "This is my 50th year with the BBC and I have always enjoyed it. Sheer pressure of work means that I have to give something up, and because I have an exclusive contract with ITV, it has to be touring cars."



MINTEX RALLY SERIES:- Defending champion Brian Lyall will lead 120 cars off the start ramp when the seven round 1998 rally commences in Bournemouth on Saturday. Aberdeen-based Lyall, who also holds the Scottish Championship, won five out of six races he contested last season. He won the opening round of this year's Scottish series but has indicated that he may not compete in all Mintex races. Marcus Dodd has been in excellent form in his Ford Cosworth, winning every stage of last week's KallKwik Rally.






27.02.98
F1:- Former world champion Damon Hill is giving out low key vibes ahead of his first race for Jordan. The new season kicks off with the Australian Grand Prix a week on Sunday but Hill said: "The first race is always the hardest. I would not like to make predictions about our performance. People keep asking me if I can win in Melbourne and I would say it is a long shot. That does not mean we should not go to Australia looking for victory."

Prost's pre-season gearbox problems have hit the French team's hopes for the early part of the season. Team supremo Alain Prost admitted: "The biggest concern was the gearbox. We know that we are going to have a tough time and that we have just entered a difficult period that will probably last about two months." However, driver Olivier Panis said: "Even if the first race in Australia looks like it will be difficult, I know the car is competitive."



SAFARI RALLY:- Carlos Sainz will be out to extend Toyota's victorious run this weekend. They have won four of the last six Safari events and the Spaniard needs just one more triumph to earn a record-breaking 22 World Championship wins. He will face strong competition from Colin McRae, who last year became the first Briton to win the Safari Rally. "This is a tactical," said the Scot. "It is all about driving at a speed that is not going to break the car. In Europe you just go flat out."

Richard Burns will be going all out for victory after two stirring drives in Sweden and Monte Carlo. The Mitsubishi driver has competed in the Safari Rally three times before and last year was second to fellow Briton Colin McRae. "This is the first event of the year which I have a realistic chance of winning," he said. "The cars take great punishment and the weather will add to the problems. It is the survival of the fittest."

Three months of rain in Kenya means the infamous ruts and potholes have become washed-out roads for the rally, which runs from Saturday to Monday. For the first time since 1990 the event will feature super special stages on the opening and closing legs and will be the shortest in history. The 16 stages cover 1,231.94km, 86km shorter than last year. Finn Juha Kankkunen has won the race three times and is joined in the Ford team by compatriot Ari Vatenen.



NASCAR:- Ford led the way in practice ahead of Sunday's inauguaral Las Vegas 400. Tauruses clocked the seven fastest laps and 12 of the top 20 on the 1.5-mile Las Vegas Motor Speedway oval. Bill Elliott was fastest (166.384mph), with Chad Little second quickest.



NEWS:- Gerald Lascelles, the former president of the British Racing Drivers' Club and a cousin of The Queen, has died in France at the age of 73.






28.02.98
SAFARI RALLY:- World champion Tommy Makinen survived brake trouble for a 36-second lead at the end of the first leg. The Finn managed to complete the 349.8 mile course despite a branch of a tree breaking his windshield and odometer. Starting from second on the ramp, he overhauled two-time champion Carlos Sainz when the Spaniard damaged his suspension after hitting a bump. British duo Richard Burns and Colin McRae are leading the chase and Burns admitted: "It's been very hard work."

Positions at end of leg 1:    hr min sec
 1 T Makinen   Fin Mitsubishi  2:48.04
 2 R Burns     GB  Mitsubishi  2:48.40
 3 C McRae     GB  Subaru      2:50.22
 4 C Sainz     Sp  Toyota      2:53.26
 5 A Vatanen   Fin Ford        2:54.07
 6 J Kankkunen Fin Ford        2:54.25
 7 D Auriol    Fr  Toyota      2:55.54
 8 P Liatti    Fin Subaru      3:00.43
 9 J Katto     Fin Toyota      3:17.10
10 H Rovanpera Sp  SEAT        3:31.44


BOURNEMOUTH WINTER RALLY:- Whittlebury businessman Roger Duckworth sped to his first Mintex National Championship victory as he led the way at the Bournemouth Winter Rally. The 31-year-old and co-driver Mark Broomfield won by 20 seconds in the Autosportif-prepared Subaru Impreza. They took the lead on stage 15 after the Metro 6R4 of Warren Philliskirk suffered transmission failure. Duckworth said: "I'm not sure whether we would have caught Warren if he'd kept going - it was very close."

RESULT after 18 stages:     hr mins secs
 1 D'worth/B'field Subaru     1:10:53
 2 Harrison/J'kins MG         1:11:13
 3 Gwynne/Cook     Subaru     1:11:19
 4 Smith/James     Ford       1:11:26
 5 Mills/Sankey    Ford       1:12:03
 6 Tough/Addison   Mitsubishi 1:13:49
 7 Foster/Faraday  Ford       1:14:03
 8 Moore/Guy       MG         1:14:36
 9 Bradbury/Thomas Ford       1:14:53
10 Holfeld/G'rod   Mitsubishi 1:15:03