Bevan Blacker and Niall Frost (MkI Ford Escort) won the sixth edition of the two-day Three Legs of Mann Rally last weekend.

Friday morning’s early sections of the navigational event were scrapped after ferry cancellations left 16 crews still on their way to the island, rolling off a delayed overnight crossing and straight into a 15-hour opening day’s action.

The event was nonetheless underway by mid-morning with tests at the Grandstand and a section through the Baldwins before the first closed roads run at Marine Drive. This was merely an appetiser to a winding route that took in most of the island - top to bottom - with one of the sternest challenges the Historic Endurance Rally Organisation lays on for pre-1991 cars.

Mick Valentine and Ryan Pickering (Ford Escort RS2000) led the Porsche 911 of Paul O’Kane/Richard Crozier into Ramsey on Friday lunchtime, with local navigator Pete Johnson third, alongside Darell Staniforth (Toyota Corolla), and Blacker/Frost fourth.

The all-local crew of Noel Kelly and Andrew Holmes (Volvo Amazon) were a fine eighth.

After sections around Jurby, Valentine/Pickering continued to lead at the Victory Café tea halt, with the eventual winners now up to second, as Nigel and Sally Woof (Volvo PV544) snuck into the top three just ahead of Staniforth/Johnson.

Into the testing night leg, with many different types of sections, leader Valentine’s RS suffered a broken half-shaft, ending a fine run.

This handed Blacker (usually part of the competitors’ assistance crew) and Frost with a four-minute lead that allowed them to cruise through Saturday’s final leg, finishing back at the Grandstand that same margin ahead of Martyn Taylor/Phil Savage (Vauxhall Astra). Nick and Andy Pullan (Peugeot 205) were third, with Staniforth and Johnson finished fifth, winning their class.

Kelly and Holmes were second in their class and 17th overall, ruing missing a loop at Jurby in the night leg and becoming stranded for several minutes at the Switchback triangle.

CHRIS BOYDE