Watson wins dramatic rally

Rob Watson continued his four year unbeaten run of club success, with victory in the Blackhorse Finance Stages Rally.

Rob and co-driver Bruce Craig powered the Vauxhall Nova kit car to victory by 58 seconds, but only after the crews placed first and second overnight crashed out in the same incident.

Overnight leader George Collister and co-driver Janet Craine were a 'stop control' at the top of Crogga Hill, Santon, at the end of today's first stage, when they were involved in a collision with Mark Cubbon.

Both cars were reportedly 'written off' and although there were no significant injuries, Mark and co-driver Jonathan Turnbull did go to hospital for checkups.

The organisers of the rally, Manx Auto Sport, are looking into the high speed incident.

Second in the event were off-Island competitor David Patterson and Manx co-driver Rob Fagg, from Donny Gill and Steve Gurney (3rd), Nigel Cannell and Norman Quayle (4th), and Steve Quine and Richard Skinner (5th).

(Picture: Rob Watson and Bruce Craig, in the Vauxhall Nova, on their way to victory in the 2007 Blackhorse Finance Stages Rally. Photo by Andrew Cowley, from the website: manxmotorsportphotos.co.uk).