Leominster driver John Perrott won the Ludlow-based Woodpecker Rally by just one second in a remarkably close finish after 45 miles of forest stages.

Perrott and co-driver Shelley Rogerson (Mitsubishi Evo 5) held off the challenge of Birmingham's Simon Hughes (Skoda Octavia WRC) to win the BTRDA Championship qualifying rally for the second year in succession.

Third place went to Herefordshire MC's Roger Chilman and Andrew Sankey (Mitsubishi Evo 6) and this earned Chilman maximum points to considerably boost his chances of winning one of Britain's most prestigious championships.

The popular Woodpecker event attracted 160 teams who battled through foggy special stages that included Radnor Forest, Hay Park and Bringewood.

There were several casualties and Leominster-based Andy Burton, one of the favourites with Perrott, had to retire his Peugeot with oil-pressure problems.

n Hereford rally navigator Shane Bowen and his Gloucester driver Julian Wilkes have won the National Tarmac B9 and front-wheel drive championships with two rounds to spare.

They finished first in both classes in their Vauxhall Nova VXR 160 in the Ulster Rally, based in Armagh, Northern Ireland.

After their success, Bowen said: "It's great knowing that we have never been beaten this season - and also giving the bigger capacity cars a run for their money has been extremely satisfying."

Their next round is at the miltary ranges on Epynt next month.