Clitheroe and District Motor Club chairman Daniel Harper recorded a superb fourth overall on last weekend’s Isle of Man Pokerstars Rally at the wheel of his Mini Sport of Padiham BMW Mini Cooper S.

Harper and co-driver Paula Swinscoe were straight on the pace setting third fastest time, just seven seconds slower than eventual winners Dave Pattison and Paul Whittaker, on the opening stage.

They then dropped time with an excursion on SS3 before finishing Friday’s leg in fifth place.

Saturday’s only moment came with an altercation with a banking but their luck held and they finished first front-wheel drive car and first non-Manx crew collecting the top awards in Class E for good measure.

That result also earned them Clitheroe bragging rights as Chris Woodcock and Terry Martin, who were handicapped by an intercom problem throughout the rally, could only manage 18th place in their Mitsubishi Lancer Evo5.9.

Woodcock said “It was disappointing, the intercom problem put us off the pace and we didn’t finish where I expected us to.

“We were also hampered by the car stalling at hairpins and had to turn off the anti-lag to get over the problem.”