Essex rally driver Nabila Tejpar regained the lead of the FIA European Rally Championship Ladies Trophy after securing a last gasp win at last weekend’s Barum Czech Rally Zlin (16 -18 August) in the Czech Republic.
The Peugeot 208 R2 pilot enjoyed a close battle with fellow Ladies Trophy contenders, after leading on the opening day, a time-zapping off meant she was running in second place for the closing stages of the rally before putting in a blistering time over the final test to secure victory, taking maximum points for her ERC Ladies Trophy campaign in the process.
Despite not intending to mount an assault on the ERC this season, after sampling the championship for the first time at Rally Islas Canarias back in May, Tejpar elected to shift her focus from the Peugeot Iberica Cup and British Rally Championship to the prestigious European series.
A solid finish in Poland launched her into the thick of the title fight and the 26-year old would need to secure another strong result in the Czech Republic to cement her position as the popular event had attracted several other female contenders, all eager to scoop the honours.
Joining Tejpar for the very first time, Portuguese co-driver Hugo Magalhães stepped into the passenger seat and the newly founded pairing would need to work hard to stay ahead of the locals.
A blast through the super special spectator stage on Thursday evening was not indicative of the remainder of the rally, but Tejpar was happy enough with second fastest through the 10-kilometre Zlin test.
