THIS IN-CAR VIDEO footage of Manus Kelly and Donall Barrett on the final stage of the 2016 Joule Donegal International Rally will rise the hairs on the back of your neck.
Kelly and Barrett went to Fanad Head, the 20th and final stage of the event, with 9.3 seconds to make up on Keith Cronin, who led the field after the penultimate stage, Atlantic Drive.
And yet history unfolded at Fanad.
The Glenswilly-Milford combination, in only their second ever event in the Mevin Evans-hired Impreza, were just 0.5 seconds ahead when the sums were totted at Portsalon.
Half a second.
In rallying parlance, it amounts to three yards.
After three days and 291.74 kilometres, the event was finally won on a 19.74km loop around Fanad.
By three yards.
It is now and will be regarded as the best ever Donegal International Rally and will take some beating for drama.
Kelly and Barrett had 30.4 seconds to make up after day two, but blistering times on High Glen and the first run of Fanad narrowed the margins significantly before dreams came true on this last, gripping, epic, historic stage.
[adrotate group=”53″]Watch the video of the final stage here …
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