BINGLEY rally driver Sam Bilham finished fourth at last weekend's Somerset Stages Rally in tricky conditions in the forests across Exmoor.

Bilham retained top spot in the Ravenol BTRDA Rally Series standings after the third round to back up his two solid finishes he had achieved earlier in the season.

His solid result means he retains the lead of the Fiesta ST Trophy and BTRDA class N3 and is second in the Production Cup and Junior Driver award.

Bilham headed to North Somerset on top of the BTRDA Production Cup standings as well as the single make Fiesta series and was undoubtedly the target for the chasing pack. Co-driven by Richard Crozier, Bilham had set his sights on another finish to ensure his 100 per cent finishing record would go unblemished.

It was trickier than first hoped as heavy rain during the run-up saw the morning's loop of stages turn into a mud bath but Bilham eased his way into the event and settled into fourth spot from the opening stage and retained that until the finish ramp back on Minehead seafront later in the day.

With inconsistent grip levels hampering progress up the leaderboard, the decision was made early on to continue at a comfortable pace allowing Bilham to bag valuable points for the championship.

Bilham said: "To be leading the championship after the third round is encouraging and our pace will certainly pick up with more seat time. But, the season is a long one so we are just taking it event by event for now."