LEOMINSTER driver Mark Perrott won the Wyedean Forest Rally on Saturday in his Ford Escort world rally car.
He arrived back at the finish in Chepstow, having set seven fastest times on the ten special stages and finished exactly half a minute ahead of runner-up Gary Midwinter of Tewkesbury.
Last year's winner – and pre-event favourite – Nik Elsmore, from Coleford, was lying in second spot before his Mitsubishi Lancer suffered a puncture on the eighth special stage.
Elsmore lost two minutes to the leaders on the stage and dropped down to the bottom of the leader board.
By the end of the rally, he had climbed back up to seventh place but any chance of taking back-to-back wins on his 'home' event had gone.
Local honour was also upheld by Robert Davies and co-driver Nick Biddle, both from Coleford, who finished ninth overall in their Mitsubishi Lancer. James Swift/Dave Mottram were third in class in their Ford Escort and Gary Standen/Ian Allsop took fifth in class in the Vauxhall Nova.
Bob Morgan/Dave Saunders were not so lucky as their Ford Escort Cosworth broke a driveshaft on the third stage, which forced them into retirement.
However, they were in good company as former Wyedean winners Andy Burton/Rob Morgan were destined for disaster as their hybrid Peugeot Cosworth succumbed to gear linkage problems.
The top ten
1. Mark Perrott/Garry Mansell Ford Escort WRC
2. Gary Midwinter/Martin Saunders Ford Escort WRC
3. David Mann/Alun Cook Subaru
4. Jon Perrott/Graham Hopewell Mitsubishi Evo III
5. Roger Duckworth/Mark Broomfield Subaru WRC
6. John Thompson/Ian Oakey Ford Cosworth
7. Nik Elsmore/Gary Kenna Mitsubishi Evo VI
8. Brendan Crealey/Steve Harris Mitsubishi Evo IV
9. Robert Davies/Nicholas Biddle Mitsubishi Evo
10. Brian Bell/Paul Spooner Ford Focus WRC