County Fermanagh’s Garry Jennings and Rory Kennedy made a late decision to tackle the Proflex Manx Rally pay last weekend.

The Irish pair powered their Ford Fiesta to a 38.7-second victory over the two-day, 18-stage Manx Auto Sport event on closed roads across the island in bone-dry and sunny conditions.

Jersey’s Sam Touzel and Max Freeman (Fiesta) led over the opening tests on Friday morning before Jennings got into his grove on the narrower, bumpier stages into the afternoon. He then set about extending that into the darkness of the evening leg to open up a 51.3s advantage that he could control throughout Saturday’s eight stages.

Jennings joins Bertie Fisher (three-time winner) and Kenny McKinstry (five) as Northern Irish drivers to win the Manx National Rally, two of Fisher’s victories (1989 and 1992) coming with Kennedy who now completes a hat-trick of wins as a co-driver.

Five-time winners Jason Pritchard/Phil Clarke had to settle for second spot this time, as they continue to familiarise themselves with a Toyota Yaris after a switch to the car for this year.

They sealed the runner-up spot with blistering fastest times on both runs of the Druidale/Baldwins stage.

2017 event winner Hugh Hunter and co-driver Andy Marchbank (Fiesta) snatched a last-gasp podium finish in third, with Mark Kelly/Will Atkins (VW Polo) fourth - both crews overhauling 2022 winner Neil Roskell and Kirk Michael’s Rob Fagg (Fiesta) over the final stages. Touzel’s car punctured on the final stage, dropping him to sixth.

Fagg was the leading local competitor, with Steve Colley and Joe Dooley the best all-local crew in 15th, ahead of Maxx Bradshaw/Liam Whiteley in 19th and John Tear/Robert Turton 20th of a high number of 102 finishers, all in Mitsubishi Evo IXs.

Car Rallying
Third all-local crew home, John Tear and Robert Turton, finished 20th in the Mitsubishi Evo IX (Photo: Mark Corlett) ((Photo: Mark Corlett))

Final results - top ten: 1, Garry Jennings/Rory Kennedy (Ford Fiesta Rally 2) total stage time 1hr 40min 17.3sec; 2, Jason Pritchard/Phil Clarke (Toyota GR Yaris) 1:40:56.0; 3, Hugh Hunter/Andy Marchbank (Ford Fiesta Rally 2) 1:41:43.5; 4, Mark Kelly/Will Atkins (VW Polo) 1:41:46.9; 5, Neil Roskell/Rob Fagg (Ford Fiesta Rally2) 1:41:52.1; 6, Sam Touzel/Max Freeman (Ford Fiesta Rally2) 1:41:59.9; 7, David Wright/Jane Nicol (Ford Fiesta Rally 2) 1:42:22.1; 8, Gareth Mimnagh/J. Barry McCarney (Ford Fiesta Rally 2) 1:43:42.5; 9, Ryan Loughran/Gareth Doherty (Ford Fiesta Rally 2) 1:44:30.0; 10, Steve Wood/Kenny Hull (Citroen C3 Rally 2) 1:46:44.9.

- Full report in Thursday’s Manx Independent.

CHRIS BOYDE