Manx Auto Sport’s PokerStars rally proved a considerable success at the weekend with significant support from off-island.

The TEG Sport Subaru crew of Lancastrian Arron Newby and Northern Ireland’s Rory Kennedy dominated day two on Saturday to take a commanding victory as their overnight rivals each hit trouble.

Newby took a six-second advantage over Mull driver Paul Mackinnon and Tom Woodburn (Ford Fiesta R5) on Friday night.

The two crews initially tied for the lead at the first service, at Jurby, but two-time ’Manx’ champion Newby coped best with the arriving rain on the second loop.

Early casualties were 2016 Manx Rally champions Daniel Harper and Chris Campbell of the north-west of England, who put their Mini WRC off the road only three miles into the opening stage on Druidale.

Also gone was Paul Bird, struggling with gearshift issues on his Ford Focus WRC before a crash at Round Table on SS7.

Locals Andrew Dudgeon and Joseph Dooley led the rally on stages one and two in a Mitsubishi, but then dropped almost two minutes on the next test at Snuff the Wind when the car cut out.

Mackinnon’s challenge for victory suffered a blow on Saturday’s opening test in Ballaugh Curraghs, a puncture costing him 41 seconds. Worse was to follow on the middle loop of stages in the north of the island as the power steering went on the Fiesta and a further minute was dropped.

Newby/Kennedy were fastest or joint fastest on each stage of the day apart from the final SS17, to push their final victory margin to 2m 11s.

Welsh crew, Tomas and Eurig Davies, climbed to third on the fast and flowing stages as rain came and went, until they broke a driveshaft on SS13 Andreas, putting them out of the rally.

That left Nigel and Kayleigh Cannell briefly in third until their Mitsubishi Evo IX developed a misfire and they were overhauled by TT ace Michael Dunlop and local co-driver Rob Fagg in the Ford Escort MkII, who scored a superb podium finish despite a run up a bank in the Curraghs in the slippery conditions.

For Cannell there was the consolation that fourth place brought with it a fourth Motor Mall Manx Rally Championship title.

Other locals in the top-10 were Dan Colley/Charlotte Shimmin (Mitsubishi Evo IX) in fifth and Timmy/Cliona Collins, seventh in their Subaru Impreza.

A fuller report in Thursday’s Manx Independent.

PokerStars Rally, Manx Auto Sport (top-10 crews): 1, Arron Newby/Rory Kennedy (Subaru Impreza) total penalties 1hr 36min 35sec; 2, Paul Mackinnon/Tom Woodburn (Ford Fiesta R5) 1:38.46; 3, Michael Dunlop/Rob Fagg (Ford Escort MkII) 1:39.13; 4, Nigel Cannell/Kayleigh Cannell (Mitsubishi Evo IX) 1:39.51; 5, Dan Colley/Charlotte Shimmin (Mitsubishi Evo IX) 1:40.49; 6, Alan Kirkaldy/Camerson Fair (Ford Escort MkII) 1:41.30; 7, Timmy Collins/Cliona Collins (Subaru Impreza) 1:42.16; 8, Kevin Davies/Max Freeman (Ford Escort) 1:42.55; 9, Jonathan Mounsey/Richard Wardle (Mitsubishi Evo IX) 1:42.56; 10, Calum Duffy/Iain Duffy (Ford Escort MkII) 1:44.09.

l More in Thursday’s Manx Independent.