Taking fifth overall is no mean feat when up against the collective rallying might of Jersey, a few notable UK visitors, and other proven Guernsey pairings – who in this case slipped from contention early on.
They had been running at number eight and performed beyond that, even pressuring the eventual fourth-place finishers until Saturday lunchtime in their Ford Escort MK2.
But navigator Ferbrache – the main speaker of the pair – had to be pleased with their feat of outperforming all the other Guernsey crews and making the top five.
‘I’m pretty chuffed, to be honest,’ he said.
‘It’s a big achievement. It was tough out there – very tough.
‘There was a lot of water, a lot of debris, and it was just challenging.
‘Fair play to the lad, he drove his socks off.’
Duquemin had previously, alongside Richard Le Marquand, been edged by Craig Robert and Chris Guille for domestic bragging rights at the 2022 Guernsey Rally.
The duo had placed fourth overall at their first Guernsey Rally together the following February, yet they were again outshone from a domestic perspective, this time by runners-up Paul Trebert and Jason Carre.
And so this year’s result proved a significant milestone for them.
‘We’ve had a couple of good finishes in Jersey as well,’ Ferbrache added after finishing 12th overall in both 2022 and 2025.
Other Guernsey successes were celebrated at the post-event prizegiving.
The trio of Nick Ferbrache, Luis Merrien and Peter Snell shared the spirit of the rally after joining forces to fill the chief marshal role.
Young Aidan Nuttall earned the unsung hero award after stepping up as stage co-ordinator.
And eventual 18th-place finisher Kevin Rumens won the ever-popular handbrake award.
Meanwhile, the UK’s David and Robert Ginn were running at 38th and yet finished a full 15 positions to that, earning them the honours for best improvement on seeding.
Even finishing the rally was not to be taken for granted – as nine of the total 39 crews retired along the way.
