On a day when Storm Amy caused the cancellation of much of the island’s sport, questions lingered over whether the event could even go ahead given its reliance on exposed routes such as Druidale and Beinn-y-Phott.
Conditions, however, proved far more favourable than Friday’s storm-hit reconnaissance runs, when crews faced flooded roads, torrential rain and gale-force winds.
But for Maxx Bradshaw and co-driver Stephen Christian in their Mitsubishi Evo IX, there was a dramatic escape.
Onboard footage shows their car rolling off the course at the Brandywell Cottage yumps in terrifying fashion.
Bradshaw told Isle of Man Today: ‘After a really hard push through Druidale on special stage one, I was feeling confident in the car so I decided to carry on the push to the end over the faster part of the stage.
‘On the second jump of the Sartfell Road, the car took off and twisted mid-air which sent it sliding.
‘After around 200 metres of fighting with the steering wheel, the car flew off the side of the road and barrel-rolled twice at well over 100mph.
‘Luckily, me and Stephen came out with just a few bruises and were able to walk away from the massive accident.’
He added his thanks to those who had checked in following the crash, saying the pair will rebuild and reassess in the coming months.
A poignant moment followed when former rally driver, and Maxx’s father – Scotty Bradshaw was pictured embracing his son after what could have been a far worse outcome.
The rally itself was dominated by Irish crews, with Donegal’s Niall McGonigle and Caolan McKenna taking victory in their Ford Fiesta Rally2.
A full rally report will feature in this week’s Isle of Man Examiner.