Nesbitt holds on in close finish

Andrew Nesbitt held off a late charge from reigning Pirelli British Rally champion Jonny Milner to win the Jim Clark Rally today.

Nesbitt, in a Subaru, led overnight with Milner’s Toyota almost a minute behind in third place but the champion crept closer today and took second place from Derek McGarrity.

Milner got his day off to the perfect start by winning stage 18 and followed that up with the fastest times in the next five stages.

It proved too little too late for Milner, who had to settle for second, 43 seconds adrift of Nesbitt. That result was enough to give him the lead of the championship by 12 points from Finland’s Tapio Laukkanen, who crashed out yesterday.

McGarrity finished third in a Subaru while reigning Green Flag British Touring Car champion James Thompson claimed eighth after winning the penultimate stage in his Mitsubishi.

Nesbitt said: “It’s absolutely brilliant – I’m well pleased. Yesterday was very treacherous.

“Today was just about keeping a steady pace and the car was running well. This is a dream event and I’ll definitely be back next year.”

Milner admitted he could have gone faster but was held back to ensure he scored valuable championship points.

He said: “The overall championship points were the important thing. Today was all about finishing at a steady pace and not taking any chances.”