MICHAEL Jenkins has reflected on an eventful rally season which saw he and his wife become class champions.

The Chilton driver finished fourth in class at the Wyedean Rally in October, and second in class at the Cambrian Rally later in the month.

Jenkins and co-driver Scott Dance then secured third in class at the Pirelli Ravenol Welsh Rally Championship.

Alongside wife Alexandra, he became class champion at the Cotswold Targa Rally Championship.

READ MORE: Kyle Joseph set to stay with Oxford United while he recovers from injury

Jenkins said: “Our Welsh Rally Championship season started with a string of retirements with our Peugeot 205, silly reliability issues that made it even more frustrating.

“The Nicky Grist stages was slightly more successful. We lost part of the exhaust, had to skip two stages on safety and noise grounds, fix it back up at service and re-enter under SuperRally rules, meaning we salvaged half points for third place.

“The fight for first in the championship was over but I refused to give up.

“I decided to upgrade to a more modern Ford Fiesta R2 and drove all the way to Sweden with my service crew to collect it.

“Heading into the penultimate round, the Wyedean Stages, I hadn’t had any time to test or drive the new car.

“Being left-hand drive with a sequential shifter, I had a lot to learn on the fly but me and my co-driver Scott Dance managed it and collected fourth in our class.”

On the Cambrian Rally, Jenkins said: “Halfway through the stage I caught the car in front and only just managed to pass him through a big water splash.

“We then hit thick fog and as I reached to turn my lamp pod off, I accidentally hit the engine kill switch.

“At first I thought the car had died but when I realised what I’d done it was too late, the seconds were lost along with the chance of a maiden victory.

“Second place on the event in class meant that we salvaged third in class on the Pirelli Ravenol Welsh Rally Championship and I’m very proud of that from my first full season of rallying.”

Jenkins added: “I’m also very proud of what me and my wife have achieved this year in the Cotswold Targa Rally Championship.

“Targa rallying is a totally different discipline, lower speeds but still very challenging and competitive.

“A class win, maximum points on two rounds and a podium meant that we won our class.

“The final round clashed with the Cambrian Rally, we were in the fight for the overall championship but had to skip the round and settle for seventh and fifth, still the highest-placed novice crew.”