LOCAL favourite Steve Bannister just missed out on back-to-back home triumphs at the Trackrod Rally Yorkshire in the forests near Pickering.

The Malton potato farmer, now in his 60s, won the Trackrod Pre-87 and Historic Cup last year, but was edged out by Llandudno’s Matt Edwards.

Welshman Edwards, the 2010 BTRDA (British Trials and Rally Drivers Association) 1400cc champion, led from start to finish in what turned into a battle of youth against experience in two Escort RS1800s.

The evergreen Bannister showing few signs of slowing down, struggled with an electrical fault on the opening leg and ran out of stages when attempting to make up the 30-second overnight deficit.

Harrogate driver Tim Pearcey, like Edwards, also enjoyed this event more than a previous one.

In 2007, he was airlifted to hospital with serious neck injuries – “I can still see the mark on the tree that I hit when we go through Staindale,” he quipped – but this time he overcame fuel starvation problems on the Friday to climb into third place.

Cleckheaton’s Bob Bean, the oldest driver in the rally at 75, showed he still has the pace that made him a works driver in the 1960s by speeding to a class win by almost a minute and a half in his trademark Lotus Cortina.

Meanwhile, rising Welsh star Osian Pryce took the main Trackrod prize.

Pryce, who was denied a first-ever BRC win on a tie-break after finishing level on total time with Tom Cave on the 2012 Trackrod event, had no such dismay this time and added to his success on the previous round in Ulster a month ago.

The 20-year old from Machynlleth, aided by co-driver Dale Furniss, led by less than a second from Finland’s Jukka Korhonen, also in a Citroen DS3.

Korhonen, who still leads the British title race going into the final round, edged ahead on Saturday morning but Pryce hit back decisively with quickest times on both of the final two stages to win by 9.9 seconds.