WORCESTER'S Jon Tainton returned from Ireland with a highly creditable ninth place overall in the Skibbereen Rally.

Over 180 starters competed in what many drivers claim-ed was the wettest rally they had ever competed in.

The Skibbereen Rally was the penultimate round of the West Coast Championship and final round of the Irish National Championship.

"We had a dry day on Saturday for the race, so our pace notes did not include any wet patches. But during Saturday night and all day Sunday we had torrential rain," said Tainton.

"All the stages were covered in pools of water, so we were going flat out into some corners only to find there was standing water, which threw the car completely out of shape.

"We had a number of very close misses with the car spinning out of control, but luckily we managed to get to the end of the event with the car still in one piece."

A number of drivers pulled out of the event saying it was too dangerous, while others were forced out due to their windscreens misting up.

"It was like a sauna in the car, the only way to keep the windscreen from misting was to keep the heater flat out on max heat," said Tainton.

"About five miles into the first stage we were coming into a 90 degree bend when a spectator ran out in the road to slow us down. Luckily we managed to stop about three feet from a car which, had rolled several times, ending up on its roof, the crew were just climbing out. If the spectators had not been there to slow us down there would have been a terrible accident."

Tainton's next visit to Ireland is in three weeks time for the final round in Kerry, "We have had a fantastic first year doing the West Coast Championship, and to finish in second place, after doing only four rounds out of six is amazing," he said.