Tom Westbrook and John Tear scored a superb top-five result on the recent 1000 Tracks Targa Rally in mid-Wales.

They were one of four local crews to contest the event.

James Hampton and David Cluckie fared best of them on the opening test at Walters Arena over gravel tracks that have formed part of the WRC Rally GB in the last 15 years.

The Mazda MX5 crew set the eighth best time on a 14-minute run that included navigating cones and undertaking stops astride lines, stop/go controls and other performance manoeuvres with penalties incurred for errors. All whilst trying to achieve a set average speed for the test.

Jason Cornell and Leonard Black (Nissan Micra) held an early 11th position, with Westbrook a further 22s back in a similar Micra, on the same time as the Proton Satria of Ben Lyon/Ciaran Tear.

The challenging route caused trouble for many crews on an event open to two-wheel drive cars only. Westbrook was amongst them, sinking the Micra on an off-track link road on the second test and having to dig it out by hand before continuing. Hampton was delayed by a puncture, while a split hose forced Lyon/Tear to retire after the third test.

Despite the dramas, Hampton held 15th place after test three, with the local battle still close, Cornell 16th and Westbrook 19th, and all to play for on the second half of the event.

Westbrook and Tear put any issues behind them, moving into the top 10 overall after the penultimate test (six), and setting the fourth best performance on a long 23-mile finale that involved almost one hour’s driving, to seal fifth place overall.

Cornell and Black also impressed in eighth place, a little over six minutes behind Westbrook, with Hampton and Cluckie a further five minutes down in 11th as the local crews acquitted themselves well.

Only 20 of the 55 crews completed an event of high attrition.