Jonny Leonard claimed second overall on Enniskillen Motor Club’s Jennings Fuels May Day Stages Rally, with event sponsor Garry Jennings the second local driver home in fourth overall.

Almost 100 crews entered the event to contest six stages centred around St Angelo, and after almost 30 minutes of competitive driving it was Aaron McLoughlin who emerged victorious in his Ford Fiesta WRC, almost 15 seconds ahead of Leonard, who was co-driven by his brother Ryan. Jennings finished a further nine seconds adrift in fourth.

Stephen Wright was the early pace setter after the opening test, with Leonard in fourth.

Garry Jennings had auction winner Paul Maguire alongside him for the day, and the pair were slow to get up to pace on the first stage, dropping over ten seconds to the fastest car.

Jennings was back up to speed on the second stage and within a second of the fastest time, but he was penalised ten seconds for brushing a chicane at the start of the test which again knocked him back.

Wright’s chances of outright victory ended on the third stage when he hit trouble, but Leonard was up into second spot behind McLaughlin and threatening the leader until he suffered his own ten second time penalty on stage four. That time loss dropped him back to third behind Gareth Sayers, but the Ballinamallard driver recaptured second overall on the final stage with a time over two second faster than his rival.

“We were happy with it,” admitted Leonard.

“It is the first time I have driven that Rally2 car on the tarmac, so it took us a wee while to get into the groove and that cost us a bit of time. We upped the pace as the day went on and we ended up with a fastest time and a couple of second fastest times.”

“The penalty was a wee bit of a surprise.

“It was supposed to be for touching a chicane, but they were virtually impossible to get through without touching something.

“It wouldn’t have changed the overall result anyway. We lost time in the morning and even if you had taken that ten seconds off we were still going to be second, so we were happy enough.”

Having claimed a podium position on tarmac, Leonard’s next outing is likely to see a return to loose surfaces before the end of the year.

“We will obviously do the local events, the Lakeland and the Bushwacker, but we might try to slot in an Irish forestry event,” he revealed.

“We have nothing set in stone, but I had that car for Fivemiletown at the beginning of the year and I enjoyed the gravel a wee bit more, so it would be nice to get some more of those in before the year is out.”

Jennings had been climbing back through the pack throughout the day after his eventful start, and he secured fourth overall with a fastest time on the final stage.

“We were very slow on the first stage, but once we got going we were probably a bit unlucky not to be second,” said Jennings.

“We got a ten second penalty, but I didn’t think I hit anything. I was happy with the times I was setting and it was good to finish up fourth.

“It could have been better, but I enjoyed it. It was a good family fun day, and the motor club ran a good event.”

Jennings was using the rally to familiarise himself with the car ahead of the Donegal International Rally in June, and he was delighted to get some more competitive mileage in his new Fiesta.

“I probably learnt more on the airfield about the car than I did on the last rally,” he admitted.

“I had a misfire in the car, and we still haven’t found it. It was probably always there, but you can only hear it when you are in the big open spaces.

“We have an entry in for the Tour of the Sperrins next, but it is all really about Donegal.”