‘When I look at the pictures of the crash I can't believe we got out alive... I am very lucky to still be here'
Rally driver Garry Jennings on his near death experience in Cavan Stages
Champion Garry Jennings believes he cheated death following a high-speed accident on Sunday's Cavan Stages that left him and his co-driving team-mate Brian Hoy hospitalised.
The pair suffered serious but non-life-threatening injuries in the stage four crash. The Ford Fiesta Rally2 car they were competing in was declared a write-off such was the force of the impact.
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Belfast Telegraph
7 days ago
- Belfast Telegraph
I can't compete at Donegal while pal Brian Hoy recovers after horror crash, says Kris Meeke
Meeke was due to compete at June's event with the Fermanagh navigator in a Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 – the same car he has so far dominated the 2025 Portuguese Rally Championship in, winning three of the opening four rounds. Hoy is currently recovering from an accident that happened on the Cavan Stages Rally; he was sitting alongside Garry Jennings when their Ford Fiesta Rally2 went off the road and hit a tree. Jennings said the cause of the crash was due to the supermini getting out of shape over a small jump. Thanks to the quick thinking of fellow competitors Cathan McCourt and Barry McNulty and Declan Boyle and Patrick McCrudden, he said they both owed their lives to them. Jennings sustained a broken leg, sternum, ribs, shoulder and wrist in the incident, while Hoy has been receiving treatment for a broken leg and arm. As such, former World Rally Championship event winner Meeke has decided to pull his Donegal Rally entry, with the 45-year-old also citing the tragic death of Dai Roberts on the second day of the Duns-based Jim Clark Rally as another reason. Roberts' driving mate James Williams was conveyed to the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh where he has since undergone surgery, with his condition said to be stable and the prognosis 'positive'. Posting on social media, Meeke wrote: 'I had hoped to be out on Donegal International Rally this year, and Brian Hoy was due to co-drive. 'Unfortunately, Brian was badly injured last weekend in a rally with Garry Jennings. 'Out of respect to Brian and the tragic events on the Jim Clark Rally, I felt uneasy to search around for a co-driver who I'd no experience with. So, finally we decided to postpone our entry until the future. 'Huge thanks to all who put in the effort to put everything together. Wishing Brian Hoy and Garry Jennings all the strength in their recovery,' added Meeke, whose previous outing on Irish soil came in 2009 at the Midland Stages Rally. Meanwhile, a JustGiving page set up to support the wife and two children of Dai Roberts has so far raised over £126,900. Those behind the idea have said the money will go to cover funeral costs and provide ongoing support.
Belfast Telegraph
26-05-2025
- Belfast Telegraph
NI rally driver says he 'cheated death' after high-speed crash: 'I am very lucky to still be here'
Rally driver Garry Jennings on his near death experience in Cavan Stages Champion Garry Jennings believes he cheated death following a high-speed accident on Sunday's Cavan Stages that left him and his co-driving team-mate Brian Hoy hospitalised. The pair suffered serious but non-life-threatening injuries in the stage four crash. The Ford Fiesta Rally2 car they were competing in was declared a write-off such was the force of the impact.
Belfast Telegraph
26-05-2025
- Belfast Telegraph
‘When I look at the pictures of the crash I can't believe we got out alive... I am very lucky to still be here'
Rally driver Garry Jennings on his near death experience in Cavan Stages Champion Garry Jennings believes he cheated death following a high-speed accident on Sunday's Cavan Stages that left him and his co-driving team-mate Brian Hoy hospitalised. The pair suffered serious but non-life-threatening injuries in the stage four crash. The Ford Fiesta Rally2 car they were competing in was declared a write-off such was the force of the impact.
