THE inaugural Weston Airport Rallysprint on Sunday, saw some of the best drivers and cars from the region competing head to head.

THE inaugural Weston Airport Rallysprint on Sunday, saw some of the best drivers and cars from the region competing head to head.

The rallysprint format meant that the winner would be the driver who set the lowest cumulative time over five runs of the set course. It also meant that the drivers would be competing without the usual help they receive from their co-drivers.

At the head of the field was former British Open champion Russell Brookes, who was re-united with his trusty Opel Manta 400, courtesy of present owner Kerry Michael. Hot on his heels was Duncan Holder in his Metro 6R4 and it was the bright orange super car that set the early pace. Kerry was equally impressive in his awesome Mark 1 Escort and further entertainment came from Dave Harris and Tim Porter in their Mark 2 examples.

Further down the order, it was Steve Hollis who was impressing the watching marshals and reporting a top speed of 127 miles per hour in Mitsubishi Evo.

As the day progressed through runs two and three, it was Hollis who was beginning to eke out a slender lead from Holder, despite reporting problems with his fuel system.

On run number four, Hollis was slightly delayed by a couple of slower competitors and this gave an advantage of 1.5 seconds to Holder going into the final run. However, fortunes were reversed on the final test and it was Hollis who claimed victory by just over 13 seconds from Holder, with the hard charging Michael in third.

Weston Motor Club are grateful to the local landowners, marshals and competitors for making the event a resounding success. For more details, please visit www.weston-super-maremotorclub.com.

Final classifications and class winners: Steve Hollis (Mitsubishi Evo) 1309.07 seconds; Duncan Holder (Metro 6R4) 1322.40; Kerry Michael (Ford Escort) 1404.90.

Class Awards - Class A: Richard Davies (Ford Escort);

Class B: Jonathon Giles (Honda Civic);

Class C: Tim Porter (Ford Escort);

Class D: Kerry Michael (Ford Escort); Class E: Duncan Holder (Metro 6R4). Fastest Time of the Day: Steve Hollis (Mitsubishi Evo).