Garry Jennings endured car problems on his way to sixth place in last weekend’s Cavan Stages Rally, but there was success for fellow Fermanagh driver Damian Campbell who won class thirteen.
Jennings was hoping to use the event as a final, morale-boosting outing before the Donegal International Rally next month, but late mechanical issues with his Subaru ended any hopes of a podium finish. 
The in-form Josh Moffett was the pace setter throughout the day, but Jennings was content to get more competitive miles under his belt and was holding third place with two stages remaining before a faulty valve signalled the beginning of a fraught final two stages.
“I took the first three stages canny and I was sitting in third comfortably and taking no chances,” he said. 
“When I went into the next three stages and I started to go hard I knew something was wrong, The car just wasn’t right out of corners and twice on the second last stage she cut out when I put the foot down. I got a puncture as well. Then on the last stage she stopped altogether so I had to stop and reset her. When I got going again the anti-lag was going flat out because some sensor failed. About one kilometre in she wasn’t putting the anti-lag off. She was revving out and I had to pull her in and stop her. I tried to go on but she was just going on the limiter so I had to keep stopping. I lost about a minute on the last stage.”
The time loss dropped Garry from third to sixth in the final standings, but he is confident that the car problems will be rectified in time for Donegal. “It was one of those things, but better it happened there than next month in Donegal,” he reflected. “I was just looking to get some mileage this week, but Prodrive will come over next week and take a look at the car. There is something not right with it but we can’t find it so they will come and have a look.”
Damian Campbell and Declan McGarrity emerged victorious in an epic battle in class thirteen. The Fermanagh pair were 15 seconds off the pace of early class leader Cathal Mulgrew after the opening test, but they mounted a great recovery drive to take the win. With two stages remaining they were still back in third, but they moved to 0.3 seconds behind the leader after stage eight, and on the final test they posted a time almost ten seconds quicker than Mulgrew to emerge victorious. Chris Armstrong went into the rally hoping to challenge for class fourteen honours, but it was a short lived challenge with Armstrong retiring his Escort after the first stage.
Cavan Rally victor Josh Moffett will go into the Donegal Rally as one of the favourites in a very strong field. Jennings is the top Fermanagh competitor and will start at number four, but he will also face stiff competition from the likes of Manus Kelly, Donagh Kelly, Declan Boyle and the returning Darren Gass. “It is very hard to predict Donegal,” he said. “There are six or seven drivers that could win it, and there will always be one or two surprises in there somewhere. I don’t expect to be too far away but I don’t expect to be at the forefront either at the minute. There are two boys in there in particular and if they make any mistakes I would like to be not too far away.”
Fellow Fermanagh man Alastair Fisher was trying to put together a deal to compete on the event but was unable to get it finalised, but William Mavitty will be there in his Mitsubishi.