We had over 120 bowlers playing in triples rinks doing battle for the coveted trophy donated by the Walker family. This day was also the Park It event in the park with several thousands attending - so it really was a great day.

It was a Victorian theme in the main park, and we were visited by Queen Victoria and Lord Ropner who said that they were "pleased with the way things were going for their subjects on a such a beautiful day."

With the tempreature around 27c our bowlers battled on in the summer sun. During all this we had a great display by our Sponsor, SG Petch, who had a free prize draw in which a hamper was won by Eric Bland of Hartlepool, a football signed by the three Legends of Century Radio Fame, went to Fred Britton from Ropner. A bottle of SG Petch wine won by Pat McMaster, a Ropner casual bowler.

The bowlers battled on, and the coveted trophy and super glassware - and some money thrown in as well - was eventually won by bowlers from Smiths Dock Club. The formidable trio are pictured from left to right Ken and Steve Meadows and John Gillespie. "It was always on the cards," said Ropner Secretary and organiser in chief, David Major "when they were 7nil down in the quarter final and came back against all odds. But even in all that excitment, there was still time to look at the flowers and lovely surrounds that compliment Ropner’s superb greens."

The organisers, including your ace reporter were absolutely shattered at the end, but it was very pleasing that everything went well on the day.

To find out more about the new Mazda 3 MPS, or to test drive any of the sporty Mazda models, call SG Petch Mazda on 0845 056 0870 or 0845 053 0083, or call in to our showrooms at Mcmullen Road, Darlington or Dragon Lane, Durham.

However, when she pulled off the covers, she was shocked to see a little sign saying ‘Love to Vic, from SG Petch, Langley Moor, Durham’ on the front windscreen. The brand new Seat Ibiza replaces her old car which she fondly referred to as her ‘Titchmobile’.

On her radio show the following day, Vic revealed: "I was utterly gobsmacked as Peter will tell you. It’s a fantastic car, so i decided to visit all my relatives in it yesterday. I’ve done 80 miles in it already."

You can listen to an audio file of the show by clicking on the play button below.

Do you listen to the show? Where you at the dealership whilst the broadcast was taking place? Which radio stations do you usually listen to?

However our SG Petch branch in Middlesbrough has been one of the region’s motoring success stories throughout 2005. Living up to its name as a dealership, one that always tries to provide a happy and friendly environment for both staff and customers alike.

As part of the SG Petch group they have brought affordable, reliable motoring, through its Hyundai & Mitsubishi franchises, to the people of Teesside and recently celebrated the dealerships 1st Birthday.

Since opening in February 2005, the dealership has set about its goals right from the start providing many happy customers, past and present, with the right deal on the right car.

And some of our customers agree:

“We’ve bought 2 cars from SG Petch this year and always get a great deal.” Mr & Mrs Lees (pictured).

“We got a great deal and very professionally handled.” Mr & Mrs Ellis

“I recommend everybody I know go to SG Petch.” Mr Sloan

In fact, they have another great reason to celebrate after just recently selling their 1000th car. Read story…

Let the new limited edition Picanto Zapp snap you out of it and give you a life of your own. Drop dead gorgeous with matching bumpers, mirrors and door handles, Zapp! is a freedom fighter in a class of its own. There are five cool colours to choose from and an array of equipment including CD audio and an MP3 player all from an amazing £5,995 on the road.

So don’t delay - with limited availability they’re sure to zoom away! 

1 Year’s Free Insurance 

Thanks to free 7 day drive-away insurance you’ll be off in a flash. And if you’re 21 or over, you’ll enjoy free comprehensive insurance for a whole year. Normally that costs a small fortune! 

Value Busting Deal 

Who doesn’t like to shop? But we all like to know we’re getting a good deal. And when it comes to choosing a stylish set of wheels, Zapp! is the undisputed value-busting champion.

You don’t have to take our word for it either: Parkers Car Price Guide "the car buyer’s bible" showed the Kia Picanto had the lowest ownership costs of any car in the UK in 2005! So at least you know you’re getting a great deal into the bargain.

Frugal On Fuel 

The perky little 1 litre engine will zip you around town in no time. And it’ll happily cruise along the motorway too. But when it comes to fuel, Zapp! is a real miser. 55 miles to the gallon means you’ll go well over 400 miles on a tank - making fill ups few and far between. 

Feature Fest!! 

• Economical 1 litre engine
• Fun loving CD audio and MP3 player
• Whizzy electric front windows
• 5 doors for the price of 3!
• Handy central door locking
• Effortless power steering
• Stylish body coloured bumpers, windows and door handles
• Dependable ABS brakes, EBD and twin airbags

Nice Numbers

• On the road price  - £5,995
• Deposit (22%) - £1,318.39
• Balance financed - £4,676.61
• First monthly payment of - £125.00
• 58 monthly payments of - £99.00
• 1 final monthly payment of - £159.00
• Total amount payable - £7,344.39
• Typical 10.9% APR

Zapp! it up!

Why not add these to your Zapp! shopping list?

• Interior silver trim console
• Roof spoiler
• Alloy wheels 

Call our parts deparment on 0845 056 0870 for a full pricing list detailing all the Zapp! accessories available.

“When we heard that there was going to be a new station for Durham and surrounding areas, we knew that we wanted to be involved and after discussions regarding different programmes, we decided to share sponsorship of the Peter and Vic Big Fun Breakfast Show with our Mazda Site at Dragonville.” said David Warren.

As well as sponsorship we are currently on air promoting our fantastic range of cars to the listeners. Even though SG Petch have been a name in motoring for nearly 29 years, we are always striving to reach our customers in different ways and The Big Fun Breakfast Show is a great “fun” way to do this!

With the Breakfast Show featuring regular games including “Hot or Not”, “Play Your Stars Right” and "Mind the Gap”, Durham FM are bringing a smile to the listeners of Durham.

Listeners have recently heard the breakfast show being broadcast live from our Mazda showroom at Dragonville…Watch out for more exciting events!!!

An awful lot has changed in the past 12 months at our Bishop Auckland site. I joined SG Petch very early in 2005 with the brief to transform the dealership into a multi-franchise supersite and give Bishop Auckland and its surrounding areas, the customer service it deserves from its local dealer. It was a difficult start with the unfortunate demise of MG/Rover early in April as we had lost our main supplier of new cars. 

However, I was given the task by Steve Petch to go out and find suitable replacements to serve the area; they needed to have quality, reliability and a wide range of vehicles.

We decided to appoint Fiat and Hyundai, one because of their enthusiasm towards the Bishop Auckland area, the other because of their fantastic vehicle range. Let me start with Fiat, they have just produced and delivered to Bishop Auckland the best small car of 2006. We have no doubt the all new Grande Punto will be a massive hit around here and for only £7594 on the road it is amazing value as well.

Moving on to Hyundai, one of the fastest growing companies in the world and selling over 40,000 vehicles in 2005. I had no second thought about appointing them in Bishop Auckland, they bring with them a unique 5 year unlimited mileage warranty and with a vehicle range from the small economical Getz to the sporty Coupe, you will struggle to find one that doesn’t suit your needs. 

All this is brand new to the site but remember that we also have the SsangYong and Daihatsu franchises that have been with us since day one at Bishop Auckland. The all-new SsangYong Kyron with a towing capacity of over 2300kg sits beautifully alongside its big brother the Rexton, capable of towing 3500kg it will pull your house down. Last but not least the SsangYong Rodius, this super seven seater looks and drives magnificent and is ideal for all you taxi drivers out there!!! And from only £14995 it is super value.

Daihatsu has been with SG Petch for over 20 years now and its reliability is legendary in the area, its class leading Sirion looks and drives great and from £7495 representing superb value.

In closing I would personally like to thank each and every one of our customers both past and present for your continuous support and look forward to seeing you over the forthcoming weeks to view our all new range of Fiat, Hyundai, SsangYong and Daihatsu vehicles, oh and don’t forget we also have a van section now, our commercial specialist Chris Moore is on hand with any questions you may have.

Best Wishes

Billy Upton 
General Manager Bishop Auckland

The multiple champion’s retirement is a loss to the sport. 

Steve Petch has been a constant presence at the forefront of the national rallying scene for more than 20 years. But now that Petch has decided to retire from driving, it’s time to take stock of his career and celebrate the many reasons why Petch should be considered a national rallying great.

He’s a very good rally driver

Steve Petch is the sort of man who doesn’t like to make too much noise about his achievements, which is a shame. The best barometer of success for a rally driver is the number of titles they’ve won, and on Petch’s CV are both BTRDA Gold Star and ANCRO National Championship titles. He won the BTRDA crown in 1992, driving a Ford Escort Cosworth. He then moved to the National Championship, winning the Group N title before claiming the overall crown in 2000, behind the wheel of an Escort WRC.

He started rallying in a Daihatsu

That’s right. He may now be known for driving immaculate Hyundai Accent WRC machines, but Petch’s first forays into rallying in 1981 were far more humble. “I started off with a three-cylinder, left-hand drive Daihatsu Charade that had been imported from some middle eastern country,” he recalls. “We’d taken this car in a swap and a guy who worked for me at the time said, ‘can I make a rally car out of it?’ So he built it into a car for club rallying, and that was the start.

“We went on to build up a Daihatsu Charmant, which sounds exotic, but was really a Daihatsu body on a 1600cc rear-wheel-drive Toyota Corolla running gear. It was a bit of a clubbie car, something like an Escort Mk2 today. I started in that doing every club event I could. For a couple of years, I mostly did single-venue asphalt rallies at old autodromes. It was proper clubmans stuff. It didn’t cost a lot of money and I had a lot of fun.” Petch soon added a ‘proper’ 1600cc Toyota Corolla which, as it was homologated, let him contest national and international events.

He’s driven some great rally cars

After progressing from the Corolla, Petch briefly moved into a ‘whale-tail’ Ford Sierra, which proved an interesting move. “John Pye, who built it for us, described it as being ‘like a Jack Russell on wet lino.’ That description sticks in the mind.”

From there, Steve Petch progressed to a Group N Escort Cosworth and, after running Group N Subaru Imprezas, moved up to a Group A Escort Cosworth. He eventually swapped that for a Escort WRC, and then moved onto a Hyundai Accent WRC. Understandably, it’s the last two cars he has the fondest memories of. “As my favourite, I think you’ve got to go with the Escort WRC. That was a proper car. It had a sequential box and loads of grunt. The Accent WRC is a quicker car, but the car I had most fun with is the Escort. You really had to be aggressive with it, but it would respond when you did.”

He runs one of the best teams in national rallying

One of Petch’s proudest achievements in rallying came through his role as team boss of SGP Motorsport. In 2004, the outfit pulled off a major upset by helping David Higgins claim the British Rally Championship title. Not bad given that Higgins hadn’t planned on doing the series until after the first round.

“He came to me and said that he fancied doing the Pirelli Rally, and asked if we could do a deal on the car,” Petch explains. “I said ‘you insure it and we’ll provide the car.’ After he won the event, we were both hooked, so we both thought that we’ve got to do some more. David had to go and do the job, but the guys worked really well with him. It was a tremendous result for us. It really was an enjoyable year.”

As well as running son Stephen, SGP Motorsport will run Richard Gower in the MSA Gravel Rally Championship this year. “He’ll have a strong year,” says Steve of Gower, who had a troubled season in the BRC in 2005. “He just needs to get that monkey off his back and he’ll be there or thereabouts.”

He supports talented drivers

As well as his successful partnership with the cash-strapped Higgins, Petch has been a strong supporter of several drivers, notably including Junior World Rally Championship star Guy Wilks. The Suzuki JWRC driver took an SGP Accent WRC to victory on the Grizedale Stages last December.

“Guy is one of our local up-and-coming drivers,” he says. “It’s nice to be able to support him, because he’s a good lad. Winning Grizedale was a nice bit of repayment.”

He’s puts a lot back into rallying

While helping talented drivers would be enough, Steve Petch has been a major supporter of all facets of rallying, particularly in the north east where he has, for example, sponsored the Hamsterley Stages.

 “I’ve had so much fun in rallying over the years that I think it’s important to give something back,” he reasons. “If I can afford to do it from a business point of view, by sponsoring the local event or supporting a local driver, then that’s what I think we should do. For example, look at the marshals that stand out there. They’re heroes, contributing their time for absolutely nothing. As drivers we’ve got to be responsible and give something back.”

He’s got a successor

Steve admits that he’s been thinking about retiring for a few seasons now, but you sense one of the reasons for his decision is a desire to focus more on the career of his son Stephen. Petch Jr has shown flashes of considerable speed in his career to date, and this year is due to tackle the BRC in a Mitsubishi Lancer E9.

“All I’ve got to do is get him to be consistent,” says Steve. “He has highs and lows, and he’s got to find his pace, which I think he’ll do this year. It’s an important year for him, and hopefully I can give him the support he needs.”

He’s a really nice bloke

Ultimately, Steve Petch is one of the nicest men in rallying. Actually, he’s probably one of the nicest men in the world. He’s always happy to talk to anyone – and no matter how badly his rally is going, he always sports a big grin on his face.

“I treat it seriously, but I’ve enjoyed every minute of it,” he says. “You have low spots, like when you crash or breakdown, but the plus side is that there’s always more highs than lows. I think that’s what everyone who goes rallying feels. I can’t pick out one high spot of my career, because it’s all been about the pleasure you get out of the sport. That’s why we do it.”

Our thanks to James Attwood of Motorsport News.

Before joining SG Petch, Matt held the role of Assistant Manager at the Farmhouse Public House near Darlington and so has a wealth of experience dealing with customers.

Scoring a personal goal when the position of sales executive came up at Richmond, Matt said: "Working with the brands of Subaru, Isuzu and Ssangyong enables me to provide our customers with a fantastic range of vehicles to suit their driving needs. I am so pleased to be working with such a well known company as SG Petch and am looking forward to the future."

Les Rudd, Director of SG Petch added: "Matt is a welcome new member of our team at Richmond and all the staff at SG Petch wish him the best of luck in his new career!"