Dave Corris and Mark Perryman (Ford Escort WRC) were awarded victory by the slimmest of margins after marker penalties played a large part in deciding the outcome of the Riverside Furniture Jurby Stages Rally last Saturday.

Mark Cubbon/Jonathan Turnbull (Evo 7) led by three seconds after the first of six airfield stages from Corris, with George Collister/Janet Craine (Evo 3) a further three behind.

The eventual winners used the extra power at their disposal to the full to draw level on stage two and then take an 18 second advantage on the next, as first Cubbon overshot at the first junction and then Collister had a huge flat in fifth gear spin.

Corris extended the lead again on stage four to 30 seconds, but then the penalties were added for the first loop and the picture changed dramatically. He now found himself down in third place, with Cubbon assuming a 36 second advantage over Donny Gill/Steve Gurney (Evo 2).

Cubbon drove to protect the lead on the concluding tests, as Corris overhauled Gill to finish what appeared to be 19 seconds down.

However when the penalties were re-assessed that all changed once again, and an hour after the action had concluded Corris/Perryman were announced as the winners, retaining their Jurby title by just one second over a naturally frustrated Cubbon.

Collister was another to gain after the final test, promoted from ninth to third, just two seconds ahead of Gill.

The two-wheel drive battle featured a day-long scrap between Richard Curphey/Andrew Holmes (Vauxhall Nova), Matt Bettridge/Bob Clague (Peugeot 206) and Kex Walker/Danni Matthews (BMW 325).

Just three seconds separated them going into the final test after Curphey had backed off on stage five with concerns about steam from the Nova’s engine bay. It was Bettridge who prevailed, putting in a superb drive to grab fifth place, again by just one second.

Curphey and Holmes extend their lead marginally in the Eurocard Motorsport Manx Rally Championship with a sixth place finish, as chief rivals Walker and Matthews finished immediately behind.

There was another cracking battle throughout the event in the 1400cc class, with former Manx champions Jimmy Howe and Kris Campbell (VW Polo) finally getting the better of newcomers David Radcliffe/Mark Corlett (Suzuki Swift).

Among the main retirements were Nigel Cannell/Nick Kaighin, whose Vauxhall Astra snapped a driveshaft on stage two and then broke the gear selector to end their day. Glenn Leece/Sam Cubbon retired in service with a broken gearbox on Mark Cubbon’s MkI Escort and Pat Bettridge/Paul Gelling (VW Golf) also suffered driveshaft failure in stage three.