Kingston businessman Tony Jardine was delighted to finish the Network Q Rally of Great Britain in a creditable 47th place.

Jardine, who heads a PR firm in the town, and team mate Kevin Eason achieved what world title contenders Colin McRae and Tommi Makinen couldnt after they crashed out on the first leg.

I cant get my head round the fact that we finished so well, said Jardine, the ITV F1 analyst.

The Honda took some colossal bumps and bangs on the final day of the rally, but incredibly the only damage sustained all weekend is a broken indicator bulb.

Jardine enjoyed support from the technical expertise of British American Racing Honda Technicians Andrew Markham and John Digby who joined regular engineers from Mike Brown Rally Services and Tim Rogers from Clover Leaf Cars in Ascot.

The sense of team spirit down here is absolutely brilliant. said Jardine.

Everyone has worked so hard preparing for the event, and I know I have certainly never felt so tense before a rally.

We have all had a lot of sleepless nights leading up to this and it was a result to celebrate.