Highworth's rallying mum shows her worth (From Wilts and Gloucestershire Standard)

Highworth's rallying mum shows her worth

HIGHWORTH'S high-speed mum Shelly Taunt showed her worth in last weekend's British Pirelli International Rally.

Based in Gateshead, the two- day event took in the daunting Kielder forest, feared by almost every rally driver.

Just to make things worse, thick fog blanketed the already night-time darkness with visibility down to just inches from the front bonnet of the car.

There was an early panic when the car developed a sudden misfire after leaving scrutineering late on Friday afternoon.

Just an hour before the start, a little 'sweet talking' with the local Nissan dealer, who had already shut shop, saw the service crew sort the problem with only minutes to spare.

A faulty sensor was cause but luck must have been on the team's side as the dealers had literally just taken one out from a customer's road car. Competing against top drivers and cars from around the world, a cautious start was made by Shelly and co-driver Bob Stokoe.

"This was my first time in the dreaded Kielder Forest and look at what it throws at me" she says.

"I had been looking forward to the event, butt once we got nearer to the first forest stage, the fog got thicker to the extent where there was no visibility at all.

"It was extremely dangerous, but we managed to get through the 12-mile stage and I was glad to hear that even the top runners wanted to go home."

Despite the initial shock of the first stage, the pair continued on and the fog had started to lift.

Unfortunately for some, it was not clear enough as it resulted into some major 'offs'.

Saturday saw a 7am start, even though the team hadn't arrived back to their accommodation until 2am in the morning, but Shelly and Bob were ready for a full attack on the day ahead.

The Silverstone Rally School, Guest & Fiore Contract Bricklayers Ltd, Creative Block Paving, Advanced Sign Factory, Rapid Hire, Mintex, Silkolene and Piaa Lamps supported crew made a storming drive.

After three of the 11 stages, the pair discovered they were leading the formula 1400cc championship and Shelly had also taken top spot in the British ladies' championship, a position held to the finish of the event.

A trip to the podium was greeted with champagne along with an overall finish of 27th place.

"The car ran without fault throughout the event", said a delighted Shelly.

"We had the smallest and the least powered car, so naturally we are all delighted with our result."

The next round of the International status championship takes place in and around Dumfries in Scotland on June 13-14.

With the events now taking place further away from home, the team is desperately looking for sponsorship to help them with the costs to continue with their championship bid.

Anyone interested in forming a mutual arrangement by supporting Shelly and her team, is asked to contact her via the administration office on 01327 857413 or, alternatively, email at shelly.taunt@lineone.net