The Banbridge veteran won the "mini Manx" for a record fifth time and he was joined on the winners' podium by Neil McCance who took first place in the Group N production category and by Jonathan Greer who scored his first victory in the UK Ford Fiesta Challenge competition.

McKinstry and co-driver Noel Orr, former British national champions, eased their S8 Subaru Impreza through the torrential rain which hit the Friday night stages to take third place and then picked up the pace on Saturday to move into the lead.

They eventually won by 30 seconds from the Subaru of Roger Duckworth with the Hyundai of Marcus Dodd third.

Comber driver McCance finished in eighth place overall in his Mitsubishi Lancer to score his first production in the British national series - and he also took top points in the Mitsubishi Evo Challenge which carries a top prize of a works drive in the British championship next season.

Lisburn's Phillip Morrow won the first two rounds and appeared on course for a third victory until his Lancer smashed a wheel on the 11th stage, costing him seven minutes. He managed to carry on to finish 41st overall, but saw his Challenge lead cut to two points by Sebastian Ling who was second behind McCance.

Young Greer, whose father David runs the successful DGM team from Carryduff, looked to have been beaten into second place by Fiesta series leader Tom Walster, but the English driver's car stopped on the final stage with a fuel leak.

Greer went on to take the win by over a minute from another Ulster driver, Alistair Fisher.

And down in Cork, Irish forestry championship leader Stephen Moore finished level with fellow Tyrone driver Brian McGillin on the Midleton-based Munster Moonraker Rally. But the victory went to McGillin in Hyundai on the tie-breaker. Sean Devine made in an all-Ulster 1-2-3 with third place.

NI championship leader Glenn Allen was knocked off the top of the Irish national tarmac series when he could only finish fifth in his Toyota Corolla on the Carlow round yesterday. Victory went to Aaron MacHale in his Ford Focus ahead of Michael Barrable (Focus), Niall Maguire (Subaru) and Patrick Elliott.