ROSS Motor Club duo Scott Partridge and Mike Jode started their 2016 BTRDA Rally Championship campaign off to a solid start by finishing 38th on the Cambrian Rally stage.

Replacing the Wyedean Forest Rally, the Llandudno event attracted 125 crews for the 45 miles of action, with the final test being around the Great Orme – a twisty tarmac of the coastal headland road, although organisers had produced a new route for this year.

The Subaru Impreza had undergone a full winter rebuild at Quick Motorsport in Hereford and, after a steady start, the duo began to climb the leaderboard.

They improved with every stage to bring the Bullet Polish/The Belfry Littledean backed car home to get some points on the board.

"It took a while to build confidence in each other,but every mile was a bonus, although the stages were very rough on the second loop," said Jode.

Their next outing will be the Malcolm Wilson Rally in March.

The event was won by Luke Francis and John Roberts in a Lancer Evo 9 by just one second from Charlie Payne's Fiesta WRC.

Francis took 11 seconds off Payne on the final test around the Great Orme.

This weekend sees the opening round of the Mintex British Historic Championship with over 80 crews doing battle on the Llandovery based Red Kite Stages.

A very high quality entry of both historic and modern machinery will do battle over 40 miles of fast and furious action on the gravel roads of Crychan, Caeo and Route 60.

Local interest surrounds Matt Edwards and Will Rogers in the Swift Group Opel Kadett GTE, Simon Tysoe and Paul Morris in an Escort RS1600, Ben Friend and Cliffy Simmons and Jason Gardner and Graham Cox, who will debuting his new Escort RS1800.

The open event, meanwhile, will feature Ross duo John Tatlow and Julie Westwood in a Peugeot 205 GTI, James Dunkley and Dan Sayce in a Vauxhall Corsa and Mark Christopher and Kevin Watkins in a Citroen C2.