Last updated at 16:11, Monday, 07 December 2009

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FAVOURITE Paul Bird led from start to finish to win an action-packed Coppermines Grizedale Stages Rally.

The Penrith driver and navigator Kirsty Riddick dominated the six stages through Grizedale Forest and Broughton Moor in their Ford Focus World Rally Car, beating second-placed Alex Allingham by one minute and 47 seconds.

Barrow navigator Chris Williams was celebrating come the finish as well.

Driving with Nick Everand for the first time in his Suzuki Swift, they came first in their class by almost five minutes, showing the Grizedale Visitors Centre worker had taken full advantage of his local knowledge.

In conditions that varied from early morning mist and fog, through torrential rain and sunshine and back to fog again, Bird mastered the course and was never threatened for his lead.

There were the usual crashes and scrapes behind him, with second car out in the main race, David Wright and co-driver Michael Wilkinson in their Mitsubishi Evo 9 hitting a tree stump on the first stage.

They carried on racing, with their front bumper lifted up at an unnatural angle, but were forced to retire come the end of the first set of Grizedale Forest stages in the morning.

Crowds flocked to the event, with thousands filling the car parks along the morning and afternoon stages and withstanding the elements to enjoy the action.

Many sheltered under umbrellas as the first cars made their way through stages one and two, with the historic and 1400cc cars leading the way.

But, by the time Bird, his green Focus shining bright among the autumnal forests, made his way from the start line, the sun was shining and the skies above blue, prompting hushing sounds from marshals whenever a spectator mentioned that it was turning out nice.

Bird enjoyed the best of the conditions for the first two stages, before the mist and fog returned halfway down the field, with drivers left to turn on their headlights as they cut through the gloom.

The rain did not return until the afternoon though, the course holding up superbly under the close inspection of close to 80 cars given the downpours that have hit Cumbria in recent months.

Ambleside’s Graham Gaskell, in his Vauxhall Nova, was another South Cumbrian to win his class, while Gary Tomlinson beat his Kankku team-mate Pip Simpson, after the latter was forced to retire his Windermere-based Imprezza.

It was Bird, though, who dominated, his distinctive lime livery leading the way on the gravel tracks throughout the day.

First published at 12:57, Monday, 07 December 2009
Published by http://www.nwemail.co.uk