Joe gets through the snow to complete first rally

Matt Griffin and Joe Cruttenden battle their way through the snow in the Forest of Dean.

Newhey's rally navigator Joe Cruttenden guided his driver, Matt Griffin from Blackburn, successfully round all seven stages of the Wyedean Rally despite the treacherous snow and ice on the track last weekend.

The rally in the Forest of Dean was the first of the BTRDA Rally First season and Cruttenden and Griffin were competing for the first time in their VW Lupo rally car, which is built and run by Shropshire based RallySchool.co.uk.

Cruttenden said after the event: "The snow and ice proved to be a problem in many of the corners. We never actually spun but we would get to a corner, which was just sheet ice, brake and sail off in to a snow bank. But we finished and that was our main aim in those conditions."

The duo will continue their battle with the other Rally First competitors inn the next round of the championship on the Somerset stages in April, when they are hoping to use the full power of the car in better conditions.

In the meantime they hope to compete on the North West Stages on 21 February, which start in Blackpool.

Anyone interested in sponsoring the team should contact Joe Cruttenden:

Email: Joecruttenden@hotmail.com