Gronholm gains experience in Ireland

The Finn was using the event as preparation for November's Rally Ireland, which will be the penultimate round of this year's World Rally Championship.

"It's always good to win," said Gronholm, "but my real reason for being here was to learn about the roads and develop a good feeling with the car ahead of Rally Ireland."

Gronholm's experience gained last weekend could prove vital if he is in a championship battle towards the end of the year.

"I'm pleased to have come here," he said. "The roads were totally different to anything I have driven on before, with many blind crests which required total accuracy with pace notes."

Ford team boss Malcolm Wilson was also pleased that the team decided to take part in the Irish Tarmac Championship round.

"I believe it was well worth the effort of competing here," he said. "We have a large bank of information which will assist us greatly when preparing for Rally Ireland.

"We can here to learn as a team and for Marcus to benefit as a driver, and he finished the event with a good knowledge of what these types of road require."

The team now head to Sweden for the second round of this year's WRC which takes place this weekend.