Peadar Hurson finished in seventh place with Mark Higgins scoring eighth overall but more importantly taking third placed points in the Kwik-Fit Pirelli series and he retains his lead in the British Championship. He had lost time on stage 13 when the propshaft broke and then more time on stage 14 which he had to limp through to reach service, but the Stobart team performed miracles to get the Ford Focus re-fettled for the final four stages and keep Higgins in the rally.
Rounding off the top ten were the Group N winners Seamus Leonard in ninth and Alan Nesbitt was tenth, but of most interest to the Kwik-Fit Pirelli series Production Cup runners was who would take top points after series leader Rory Galligan's demise. Going into the final loop of four stages Barry Clark had a 0.6 second advantage over Aaron MacHale, with David Higgins some 21 seconds adrift.
On the first stage out of service, Higgins was on a mission and took 14 seconds out of MacHale and 16 seconds out of Clark. On the next one he re-took the top points scoring position with a time faster by 15 seconds than Clark while MacHale saw his hopes cruelly dashed with a puncture in his Mitsubishi.
"It was the same wheel that punctured last night," he noted, "and on the same stage too!"
Higgins thus took the maximum points but Clark was pleased with second placed points ahead of MacHale.
Sadly, Clark's team-mate Lorna Smith failed to retain her current runner-up position in the Production Cup when her Subaru broke its steering two stages from the finish.
In total 30 cars were classified at the finish, 45 having started the event Friday.
The next PBRC event is the Trackrod Rally Yorkshire, which runs from October 8-9.
