Clifton upon Teme's Steve Link kept himself well in the title fight as he secured a podium finish at a rally series event.

The Rallynuts Severn Valley Stages round of the BTRDA Rally Series Gold Star Championship saw a stellar performance from the racer, who combined with Russ Thompson to manoeuvre their 21-year-old Mitsubishi Lancer through the mid-Wales forests.

Link and Thompson could have jointly led the standings, but a road accident ahead of them laboured their progress in the final stage, leaving them with a one-point deficit to recover from.

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This year marked the 50th anniversary of the Severn Valley Stages, attracting a large number of entries with over 60 special stage miles, as well as the inclusion of the British Rally Championship field.

Despite the primary focus being the Interclub honours for Link and Thompson, the pair kept an impressive pace, finishing the event in what would have placed them in the BRC top ten, and accomplishing a significant lead over ex-F1 racer Jos Verstappen, father of three-time F1 World Champion Max, who was a standout entry to the series.

Link and Thompson's morning loop saw them post the fourth fastest time, repeating their best of the rest showing through the Myherin test.

Worcester News: Link (right) and Thompson (left) secured a podium finish ahead of former F1 driver, Jos Verstappen,

Having run soft compound tyres in the morning session, the pair opted for a harder medium compound tyre in the afternoon, to ensure the best chance of securing the runners-up position should first place Matthew Hirst encounter some difficulties.

A nine-second loss owing to a spin in the early stage made a slight dent in their plan but did not deter their progress.

The final stage began promisingly, but a significant accident involving Roger Hodenius forced an unexpected halt, thwarting their bid.

Although ending with a tinge of disappointment, it did not overshadow their strong result.

Reflecting on the day, Link said: "It was a good start to the day and to pull out a nearly 10-second lead in class when someone like Rob is pushing you is no mean feat.

"We went brave with our tyre plan for the afternoon.

"Yeah, it didn’t pay off, but there’s not a lot you can do about someone going off and blocking the road.

"We did what we could and in some of those stages, I don’t think our car has ever gone faster, we’re pushing as hard as we can and looking forward to another go up in the borders in May."