STEVE Petch will hunting a third title when the Kall Kwik Rally returns to the forests of North Yorkshire on Sunday, February 17.

The De Lacy Motor Club event was the last major rally to run in February last year before the spread of Foot and Mouth Disease which crippled the sport.

It was won by 2000 Mintex National champions Petch and John Richardson in their SGP Motorsport Ford Escort World Rally Car.

Petch, who won the rally in 1999, returns at the wheel of the newly acquired ex-Kenneth Erikkson Hyundai WRC.

But he can expect stiff opposition from a number of crews that form the 70-car entry.

Chasing Petch will be Skegness businessman Brian Bell and his co-driver Paul Morris in their Ford Focus WRC which Bell took to 31st place in last year's Network Q Rally of Great Britain and the Lincolnshire crew will be hoping for better luck after retiring on the opening stage last year in their Ford Escort WRC.

Yorkshire's Charlie Payne and Craig Thorley will also be a major threat in their Mitsubishi following on from their third place finish last year. The Ripon driver has also won the event twice and has a rare turn of pace in the daunting local forests.

A number of Scottish crews also head south for the rally including the Subaru of former Scottish champion Raymond Munro, Dave Weston driving a Mitsubishi and Jim Carty who's out in an MG Metro 6R4.

Shildon's Barry Johnson will want to put his controversial exclusion from last week's Riponian rally behind him as he goes for glory in his Subaru and York driver Andy Elliott will be hoping to match or even better his superb fourth place finish last year in his 6R4.

Northallerton's David Brown gives his radical Ford Puma Evo 4x4 its first outing in anger on gravel and Whitby rally instructor Ryan Champion is another dark horse gunning for success in his Mitsubishi.

Just outside the top ten is expected to be Ducati superbike team boss Paul Bird who will be driving the Escort WRC which Petch drove to victory last year but the Penrith driver will be hoping to get further than the 100 yards he managed on the Riponian after breaking the transmission leaving the line of SS1.

The 120-mile rally, which comprises rounds of the Kent Cams Northern, Deansbury Homes ANECCC, Roadrunner/Phoenix Awards ANEMMC and Competition Car Insurance EMAMC Stage Rally Championships, includes over 40 miles of forest tracks in such classics as Dalby, Staindale, Gale Rigg and Cropton forests, is based for the second year in Pickering.

After a 10am start in the Market Place competitors will tackle two stages in the Dalby complex before moving to a brief service halt at the Flamingo Land Theme Park.

A further two long stages in Cropton and Pickering Forests preclude a second visit to Flamingo Land before crews return to the Dalby complex again for the final three stages. Surviving competitors will return to the Market Place around 4pm.

Updated: 11:57 Friday, February 15, 2002