FIFTH overall and second in class was the final result for Highworth mums Shelly Taunt & co-driver Julie Murphy at the Poole-based Rallye Sunseeker National event.

Being the first women to finish - ably assisted by Murphy - was an added pleasure for Taunt.

She said: “We are really pleased with our result, we pushed hard all day and the car ran faultless.

“The gravel stages were really slippery in the morning and on our second stage I pushed a bit too much, causing us to spin and hit a bank head on.

“Thankfully there was no damage but we did lose valuable time which resulted in us lying in sixth place overall before the lunchtime break.”

After the service halt and a quick spanner check, the Highworth duo headed off for the final four stages.

Their mission was to drive flat out and with the stages rapidly drying out, they were able to gain a place.

Taunt and Murphy’s next event is this coming weekend when they compete in the South of England Tempest Rally.

The rally will be based at Rushmoor Arena in Aldershot, Hampshire, and the pair will be battling against competitors from all around the UK at the gravel surface event.