Cornforth family Yorkshire summary

North Yorkshire daughter and father rally crew enjoy success on Trackrod All-Stars Rally

North Yorkshire daughter and father rally crew Amanda and Derek Cornforth enjoyed success on the Trackrod All-Stars Rally on Saturday (October 7) as they came home sixth overall.

Driver Amanda and co-driver Derek, both from near Thirsk, successfully finished the local Pickering-based British Rally Championship (BRC) event in their 6th Gear PR-backed 1300cc Ford Ka as they ended-up sixth and second in class S3 following 70-miles of competitive gravel stages in the North Yorkshire forests.

The day did not run entirely smoothly for the crew, however, as a half spin on the first run through the Gale Rigg stage and an off in Dalby provided some drama. They lost little time with the spin but after leaving the road at a square left corner in Dalby, they found themselves beached and lost around four to five minutes of valuable time as they struggled to push the car back out on to the stage.

But they recovered to make it to the finish and, although the event was a one-off outing in the BRC for the Cornforths who have been competing in the BTRDA (British Trial and Rally Drivers Association) Xspec 1400 Championship this season, they were pleased with the result.

Amanda, 24, said: "I really enjoyed the rally, it was great fun and I just love those stages. I'm really pleased with where we finished-up and I felt I drove well. I've regained my confidence again after losing it on the last rally I did.

"I found the spin we had quite amusing but I got a little frustrated when we were beached because we lost so much time but we got going again and that's all that matters. It was a good practice for me and I pushed myself hard."

Derek said: "I had a great time on the Trackrod. I really enjoyed the stages and the car went well. It's always nice to do a local event which you are a bit more familiar with.

"Amanda drove well and I even think she put in her best performance ever on the Langdale stage. It's a good result for us."

Amanda will now fly out to Jersey to make her co-driving debut alongside fellow Xspec 1400 contestant Jayne Auden in the Jersey Rally on Friday to Saturday (13-14 October).

The crew will miss the final round of the Xspec 1400 series but Amanda and Derek will be reunited in their Ka for the Malton Forest Stages rally on November 5.

-credit: www.6thgearpr.co.uk