Donnelly hangs on to win Rally Isle of Man

Reigning Pirelli Irish Tarmac Champions Eugene Donnelly and Paul Kiely added a new title to their list of event wins on Saturday after holding on to claim Rally Isle of Man, by 24.5 seconds.

The crew from the North were looking to protect the 29-second lead into the final day in the changeable conditions, taking a heavy tread intermediate tyre choice for the opening loop.

The Toyota Corolla WRC worked to good effect in the opening stage, gaining a further 1.5 seconds, but then the fightback that everyone knew would come happened. Kenny McKinstry and Noel Orr halved the deficit at a stroke with a blistering run over Druidale and the Baldwins in their Subaru Impreza WRC.

The battle continued with the pair swopping fastest times. ‘We were caught out by Kenny earlier, so it’s hammer down,' said Donnelly at the time.

The advantage remained at 18 seconds with just two tests remaining, but unfortunately third-placed Derek McGarrity and Dairmuid Falvey’s Impreza WRC went off the road at high speed on SS22. Dairmuid was uninjured, but Derek suffered a broken arm.

That promoted Eamonn Boland into third place in his Ford Focus WRC, despite Eamonn losing time in the stage himself.

On the penultimate stage at St Marks, Donnelly found himself in trouble. “We’re down on power, might not be able to stay ahead,” he reported.

McKinstry attacked hard but the chase became fruitless when he spun, dropping 20 seconds.

The Donnelly camp certainly had concern etched on their faces as they waited nervously at the finish of the final stage right alongside the TT Grandstand. When the Toyota flashed over the horizon, their joy was unconfined.

“Boy, there were some wild moments in there,” said Donnelly. “The throttle was sticking wide open in places.

“We’re delighted, it’s my third visit and I love the place. Winning here put your name alongside legends,”

McKinstry was valiant in defeat, having gone hard over that final test. “We weren’t ever going to give up on right to the end,” he said. “Eugene drove a super rally, but we’ll be back, this island is a great place to go rallying.”

Boland and Francis Regan held on for third, clocking up more championship points, though this result puts Donnelly’s title defence on solid ground.