Dale and Wayne Thomas made a prize winning return to rallying when they collected the class five award on Wigan and District Motor Club’s Adgespeed Stages.

After a two-year lay-off from the sport, the East Lancashire-based brothers made their debut in a MG DAM 6R4, a rare car with an even rarer pedigree.

The car in question, a hybrid MG Metro 6R4, was the first built by specialist rally car builder David Appleby, in corroboration with the late Tony Pond, in 1993.

Pond was Britain’s most successful Metro driver finishing third on the 1986 Lombard RAC Rally, Britain’s round of the World Rally Champion-ship.

Later versions of the car, which evolved into the DAM 4100Gti, had numerous modifications including a longer wheelbase.

But the Thomas’s car is basically an original MG Metro 6R4 with re-styled front and rear body panels that allow the car a wider track.

Having become known in the sport for their exploits in an Opel Manta 400, the brothers most recent mount was a Ford Escort WRC but they found its left-hand drive format not to their liking.

Dale, who drove the Metro on the Three Sisters-based event, said: “It’s great to be back in car with the steering wheel on the right side.”

He added: “When we started rallying some 20-odd years ago, we would never have believed that one-day we’d be rallying a 6R4.

“It was also my 40th birthday, what a way to celebrate.”

After a cautious start, the brothers completed the opening stage in 13th place but steady progress through the morning’s set of six stages saw them reach the mid-rally point in seventh position.

With confidence growing in the car, which ran faultlessly, they upped their pace through the second set of six stages to finish fifth overall, collecting the class five award in the process to cap a successful outing in their new machine.

Dale said: “It was about putting some miles on the car and having a bit of fun and thanks to the support we’ve received from 6R4.com, Polymet Ltd and Fowler UK we’ve been able to achieve that.”