MALVERN’S Bob Ceen took over from Worcester’s Paul Davy to claim the Pirelli MSA Welsh Forest Rally Championship.

The penultimate round of the series, the Eventsigns Woodpecker Stages Rally, saw a slightly more measured approach from Ceen clinch the overall drivers’ title.

From Ludlow Racecourse, competitors on the event, organised by 60 and Worcestershire Motor Club, tackled six stages in forestry close to the town as well as on the gravel roads of Radnor Forest.

Abergele’s Luke Francis and co-driver John H Roberts from Colwyn Bay took the early lead in their new Mitsubishi Evo IX ahead of the Subaru Impreza of Ceen and co-driver Andy Bull from Birmingham.

Francis extended his advantage on stage two but, after a slow start that included a puncture on the second stage, Ellistown’s Jamie An - derson dramatically upped his pace.

Anderson and co-driver Jon Scott from Ludlow were tied on time in their Mitsubishi World Rally Car with Francis and Roberts.

The Welsh duo struck back on the next stage to claim a two-second advantage as the crews returned to Ludlow Racecourse for a service halt after four stages.

Long gone from the event by now, however, was the pre-rally championship leader Davy.

He had struck a rock on the second stage, breaking a ball joint on the Subaru Impreza and forcing him to retire with less than 10 miles of the route completed.

The penultimate stage saw Francis and Roberts extend their lead over Anderson and Scott by another second.

But a storming drive through the final stage was enough to give the English pair overall victory on the event and beat their championship rivals by just five seconds.

Third place was enough to ensure Ceen won the title and a free entry on the Wales Rally GB national rally, courtesy of the World Rally Championship round’s organisers IMS.

Meanwhile, Bull remains locked in a four-way battle for the co-driver title as the series finishes at the Llandudno-based Cambrian Rally on October 17.

Fourth place among the championship contenders went to Llanon’s Dylan Davies, who now lies third in the drivers’ standings.

Co-driver Llion Williams from Caernarfon is now tied for the lead in that battle with Worcester’s Roger Allan.

Fifth place for Roland Llewellin enabled the Haverfordwest driver to close in on leader Davy in the battle for Group ‘N’ honours for less modified cars.

Jamie Edwards, of Caernarfon, retains a chance of taking the outright co- driver’s crown.

Ford Escort driver John Baker clinched his class title but the Ellesmere driver remains locked in a battle with three others for two-wheel drive honours.

Another driver to assure himself of an end-of-season award was Morgan Handford.

The Pontyclun driver clinched the junior under 25s driver title in his VW Polo after closest rival Jordan Horne from Derry rolled his Nissan Micra on the final stage of the rally.

While the class one title for two-wheel drive cars up to 1200cc goes to another Nissan Micra driver Thomas Bayliss, of Newtown, the fight for the Ravenol Welsh Challenge remains wide open with the top three separated by just three points.

Victory in the challenge brings with it £3,000 worth of the sponsor’s products ensuring there will still be plenty at stake when the competitors arrive in Llandudno next month.