MANUS KELLY stalled at the start of the opening two stages of the Carlow Stages Rally but ended up a winner on Sunday.
Kelly admitted he was merely testing the Subaru S12B WRC, which he was driving for the first time, but after an uncertain start he and his co-driver Donall Barrett began to feel their way into the race.
[adrotate group=”11″]“We were going down to learn the car and get a bit of experience in it,” Kelly said. “We did 12 miles of it on Saturday night and the rain was pouring down. I wasn’t comfortable. We took the decision to drive it like we always did. It worked a treat.
“It’s a huge step. The Mark 2 is a raw car, while the world car has such modern technology. Then it’s about you pushing the boundaries.”
“When we stalled, I remember Donall’s face. I was so nervous anyway. We did it again the second time! But it was grand then. We used the day as a test day but by the end of the second loop there was a chance of winning the rally. It was greasy out there. They gave us some extra grip. It was lovely to win it.”
[adrotate group=”12″]Glenswilly native Kelly, who won the national event in last year’s Donegal International Rally, is looking forward to this year’s staging of the event.
“Roll on June,” he said.
Listen to Kelly’s interview in full with Charlie Collins …
https://soundcloud.com/donegalsporthub-club-notes/manus-kelly-following-win-at-carlow-stages-rally
