The new compact formula Pirelli International Rally proved to be a big hit with both competitors and spectators, the opening round of the Kwik Fit Pirelli British Rally Championship drawing complimentary comments as the re-jigged event ran smoothly and slickly, providing an excellent start to the series.

The entire rally was compacted into just 24 hours and road mileage cut dramatically, the reconnaissance session dovetailed into the Friday morning with the first leg of the rally running in the evening, it all made for a short, sharp event that achieved the objective of cutting costs for competitors.

Surprisingly, the evening stages, run in darkness, proved extremely popular with competitors despite the presence of patchy mist in places, for many of the drivers it was their first taste of nighttime stages and it proved to be a novel experience

For the large number of enthusiasts who turned out to spectate, the rally's new format was even more popular, with getting from stage to stage relatively easy, indeed on the Saturday it was possible to see up to four stages and still not travel more than 10 miles. The warm, sunny weather that prevailed over the rally weekend was an added bonus.

espite the temptation to cut mileage even further, the organisers are unlikely to move the rally headquarters away from Gateshead , which proved to be an excellent host town with superb facilities for scrutineering and rally headquarters at the International Stadium.