Rallying: Stokes finishes second at Harry Flatters event (From Gazette Series)

David Stokes finishes second at Harry Flatters round of MSA British Historic Championship

7:00am Friday 3rd August 2012 in Gloucestershire Sport

DURSLEY'S David Stokes and co-driver Guy Weaver took an excellent second overall on last weekend's Harry Flatters Rally.

The latest round of the Kokoli MSA British Historic Championship, on the fast roads of Epynt military ranges, brought crews to the first tarmac event of the year.  Eleven special stages covering 85 miles were on offer on the daunting roads .  Stokes, seeded at number one in the Draycott Bakeries/Ashmores Escort RS1600, got off to a terrible start with fuel vapourisation problems on the opening test, followed by a puncture on stage two, costing a few seconds. The second loop went much better with Stokes holding onto third behind championship rivals Julian Reynolds and Ernie Graham. The afternoon consisted of three long stages but the Dursley driver started to feel unwell in the car. However, a sterling effort on the final stage saw the duo overhaul the similar Escort of Ernie Graham to arrive back at the Brecon finish in the runner-up position. As the championship heads into the second half of the year there is still an awful lot of points to play for.