THE Wee County’s motorsport star made a triumphant return to the area at the weekend as she came top of her class.

Dollar rally driver Ashleigh Morris blitzed the Knockhill Racing Circuit on Sunday for round three of the 2019-20 Motorsport News Circuit Rally Championship.

Ashleigh and co-driver Jamie McTavish took part in their Ford Fiesta R200, hoping to beat current class leader Chris Ruck.

Conditions were challenging from the start, with heavy rain and wind all day resulting in a lot of standing water on the circuit.

The rally stage was even more treacherous, with flooding in places.

Stage one went well for Ashleigh and Jamie and they took the class lead, sitting five seconds ahead of Ruck, and in 16th overall.

By lunchtime they had moved up to 14th overall and extended their class lead to 29 seconds. The car picked up a puncture on the rally stage on stage four, but fortunately this was right at the end of the stage so didn't affect their times.

In the afternoon, conditions remained difficult but Ashleigh managed to maintain the class lead and finished the rally first in class and 13th overall, her best overall finish to date.

Speaking to the Advertiser, Ashleigh couldn’t hide her delight.

She said: “I’m over the moon with this result. After our crash here last year we were hoping for a good result and I’m delighted to take a class victory.

“It means a lot to be able to achieve this at our home rally in Scotland, with friends and family here to support us.

“Thank you to everyone who supported us in getting this result. Jamie did a great job all day and Howard ensured the car was faultless, servicing in very challenging conditions.

“Thanks also to James for his help and my friends and family for coming along to support in such awful weather.

“We are also grateful to our sponsors, Cirrus Research, Morris Lubricants and Real System Controls – we couldn’t do it without you.”

The victory topped off a nice return to Dollar for Ashleigh, after she visited the town’s academy for a photoshoot with her car and colours on.

Anyone wishing to follow Ashleigh’s progress in the 2019/20 Motorsport News Circuit Rally Championship can do so at ashleighmorris.com