SHELLY Taunt secured a top-10 finish at the high-profile Trackrod Rally Yorkshire Clubman event, finishing ninth overall.

Taunt and co-driver Julie Murphy faced strong opposition at the North Yorkshire based event but after a clean run the pair soon found themselves running just inside the top 10 as their Subaru Impreza ran faultlessly all day.

Taunt said: “We didn’t know what to expect although having competed on the event a few times, the weather had been horrendous the week of the event and heavy rain caused flooding in many areas of North Yorkshire, but to our surprise the stages were dry and even dusty in places.

“The stages were in great condition and extremely fast and we covered most sections flat out and in fifth gear with speeds in excess of well over 100mph.

“The car ran fantastic all weekend, it didn’t miss a beat.

“Preparation on the car is so important and if the car is in a good running order then it makes Shelly’s job of handling and pushing the car to its limits so much easier especially when competing at such high speeds.”

Racing alongside four World Rally cars, the Highworth duo held their own over the 45-mile gravel-stage event to nab ninth. The event was won by Peter Stephenson in his Ford Focus World Rally car.

Taunt and Murphy’s next outing will be the Aldershot based Tempest Rally in early November an event that they call their local. The rally will take place on Saturday, November 3.