Will Rutherford, however, was justified in thinking this year’s rally was the ‘one that got away’.
Ultimately, Le Noa won the domestic motorsport spectacle for the seventh time, but it could have been a very different story had Guernsey’s top navigator and Caesarean driver Ed Fossey not dropped a whole minute on the first of Friday night’s Saviour stages due to a frustrating electrical fault.
The unbeaten Jerseyman and first-time Guernsey Rally navigator Derek Le Bailly prevailed by 52.4sec., but Fossey and Rutherford had the edge generally and won 14 of the 24 stages that went ahead.
To have gone the distance would have made it the first time any crew with at least one Guernsey member had taken top spot.
‘It’s the win that crept away from us – just one unfortunate thing with the car that went wrong,’ Rutherford said.
Guernsey’s top-two seeded drivers, Craig Robert and Paul Trebert, had both slid from contention on the slippery and technical rally after suffering crashes on the very first run. Robert then had to retire after a significant crash that evening.
It left Rutherford carrying the island’s hopes after leading through the first five stages run, but through mere misfortune they were left scrambling in the dark to get their car going again and paid for it dearly.
‘It’s bittersweet, but at the same time what a great event,’ Rutherford added.
‘For Ross, nobody can deny how good he is at managing a lead and managing an event. He’s come here and won every single one.
‘He lets everyone have their issues and just keeps going – so consistent.’
Le Noa prefers to let his driving do the talking, but navigator Le Bailly quite appreciated sharing the spoils on his Guernsey debut.
‘It’s excellent. It’s nice of him to phone me up, as I’ve been navigating for 22 years, but I’ve never had the opportunity to do Guernsey.
‘Sat with him for the weekend and it was great.’
In a further showcase of Jersey’s rallying talent, Dave Oliveira and Victor Nobrega shared third, while Darryl Morris and Keiran Gregory placed fourth.
The honours for the top all-Guernsey crew instead went to Nick Duquemin and Phil Ferbrache following a fifth-place finish.
They had the pleasure of finishing a place ahead of six-time UK asphalt champion Damian Cole, an exciting prospect who had local navigator Ian Allsop alongside him but could not master Guernsey’s narrow and technical lanes.
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