Tricky conditions throughout the opening loop did not help matters but the retired rallying ace was happy with his times as the day progressed, even though he was unable to match the pace at the front of the field.

“Today was all about having a bit of a blast in the car, and using the Malcolm Wilson Rally as a shakedown for the Hyundai. The pace at the front was pretty rapid, but I know the car can match those boys… there is just no point in chasing them and risking going off. By the end of the rally I was happy with the settings and as we brought the car back in one piece all the lads are smiling, so that’s a result.”

The Malcolm Wilson Rally took in some of the famous stages of the area, including Grizedale and Greystokes, and by the end of the day Steve, co-driven by John Richardson, was lying 9th in class.

The SG Petch Motorsport team will be back in action on the Border Counties Rally in early April, when Stephen Junior retakes the reigns for the second round of the National Gravel Rally Championship.

Steve, father of Mitsubishi Evo Challenge front runner Stephen Petch junior, and proprietor of SGP Motorsport, one of the top rally car preparation companies in the country, was contesting the second round of the 2007 Tesco 99 Octane BTRDA rally Championship in one of his company’s Hyundai Accent World Rally Cars and despite not competing for quite a while was quickly on the pace of the front runners.

Going 8th quickest through the opening stage showed Steve how the pace of British rallying had moved on since his retirement. He duly responded with 4th fastest through Grizedale, as he began to chase the more modern world rally cars ahead.

A string of top 5 times throughout the rest of the day saw Petch remain in touch with the leaders and the former champion looked set for a solid result when he was unexpectedly caught out by a tight corner. The Hyundai Accent WRC ended up in a ditch where, although there was little damage, the lack of spectators meant the car was going no further.

SGP Motorsport will be back in action supporting Stephen Petch Junior in the second round of the 2007 Mitsubishi Evo Challenge, the Border Counties Rally.