It was tight at the finish but the reigning Irish national champion was just glad to be back in a rally car and doing what he does best.

A debilitating illness has prevented the Maghera man from defending his Irish title but this was his local Magherafelt club's event and he was determined to make it his first appearance of the season.

Even the blustery, showery weather which saw road conditions change, not just on virtually every stage but in mid-stage, could not knock Donnelly out of his stride as he led from start to finish.

But the faithful Corolla almost let him down at the end.

He and co-driver Paddy Toner, replacing Liam Reid who was storm-bound in England, seemed to have it all done and dusted when they finished the penultimate stage with an 18-second lead over the similar Corolla of Glenn Allen.

On the final six-and-a-half miles of Crosskeys the Toyota's clutch was "slipping like mad" and Donnelly had to use all his skill and experience to keep its nose in front. The margin was down to just five seconds at the end and Donnelly was as delighted as he was relieved.

"Class event, really enjoyed it," he grinned. "A big fraught at the end but, sure, isn't that what makes it exciting. It was just great to be back in a rally car again."

Runner-up for a second year in a row for Allen had its compensations. With Donnelly not championship-registered, he walked away with maximum points to increase his lead in the Northern Ireland series.

Only Sean Devine threatened to disrupt the Toyota twosome but his rally ended when his Subaru crashed on the final stage and although Stephen Moore and Raymond Johnston stopped to ensure the crew were OK they kept their fifth and sixth positions.

Third place went to the Ford Focus of Seamus Heron but the other big star of the day was Neil McCance who steered his production Mitsubishi Lancer into fourth place overall. And with joint leader Richard Cathcart bowing out earlier in the day, McCance moves to the top of the Group N table.

KBB Doors Tour of the Sperrins: 1 Charlie Donnelly and Paddy Toner (Toyota Corolla) 35 mins 04.02 secs; 2 Glenn Allen and Damien Connolly (Toyota Corolla) 35:10.1; 3 Seamus Heron and Elaine Doherty (Ford Focus) 36:16.0; 4 Neil McCance and Sean Ferris (Mitsubishi Lancer N) 36:25.5; 5 Stephen Moore and Tony McHugh (Ford Focus) 36:29.7; 6 Raymond Johnston and Richard Bell (Subaru Impreza) 36:42.8; 7 Cathal Rogers and John McCafferty (Mitsubishi Lancer N) 37:06.9; 8 John McLaughlin and Stephen McAuley (Mitsubishi Lancer N) 37:28.0; 9 Frank Kelly and Joe Friel (Ford Escort) 37:34.4; 10 Aidan Toner and Damien Toner (Ford Escort) 37:36.6.