Garry Jennings claimed a top-ten finish on the Circuit of Ireland Rally as he debuted his new Ford Fiesta Rally2.

Jennings survived a brush with a chicane on the first stage and a spin on stage three to claim ninth and finish as the first Ford car over the ramp.

The Kesh driver made the decision to upgrade his outdated Fiesta after the season-opening Galway International Rally, but the Fiesta only arrived in Fermanagh two days before the start of the Circuit of Ireland, limiting Garry’s testing time in the new machine.

Despite the lack of preparation, he was delighted by the potential of the car.

“It is a lot better than I expected it to be,” he revealed.

“I got it on Thursday night, and we got the seat adjusted in her and took her for a short run.

“We had to raise it up because the M Sport setting was very low, but the car feels very good and it definitely has more power.

“The chassis is black and white of a difference. The R5 car was a pitching car, and it moved a lot on the suspension, but this car sits square all the time.

“I am getting a false feeling that it is not braking because the car is not pitching forward, but she is braking.

“It is 85 kilos lighter than my old car and you can notice how late you can brake because the car is so light. It is very, very good. It will just take a bit of time.”

Garry’s first stage yielded a ninth-fastest time, but he was hampered when his path was obstructed by tyres pulled out onto the road by a previous competitor, and he lost further time on stage three with a spin.

“On stage one someone had pulled two big tyres out on a chicane and when I came round the chicane there was nowhere to go, so I pushed them up the road,” he explained.

“I wasn’t sure if they were going to go underneath her, and I didn’t know if it had damaged the radiator. I lost a bit of confidence after that.

“Then I spun on stage three and got stuck between two banks.”

Despite his misfortunes, Garry said he was happy with the stage times he was setting as he continued to adapt to a new car and a new driving style.

“It was a challenging rally,” he admitted. “We made a lot of changes over the three services, but it was working very well. It was the bumpiest rally I was ever on.

“I was trying to hold it flat down the big straights but when I was talking to the boys, they weren’t holding it flat.

“My old car would have taken the worst road in Ireland flat-out, but the new chassis doesn’t because you are going so much quicker and have so much more power.

“I have to learn where to push and where not to, but I was not that far away.

“I can’t compare to those other boys yet because they are years in those cars, but I am happy, and I was the first Ford home – well ahead of the boys driving the other Fords.”

Garry is planning to continue his familiarisation with the car on the Tour of the Sperrins and Cavan Rallies.

“We will knuckle down now and do a couple of rallies before Donegal,” he revealed.

“I can’t wait to get out. I wish there was a rally this week!”