The Isle of Man asphalt beckons this week, as four wheels take over from the madness of two, on round three of the Tesco 99 Octane MSA British Rally Championship.
The Rally Isle of Man fits neatly in the middle of a trio of sealed surface rallies in the UK’s premier rally championship, with May’s Jim Clark International a distant memory and 160 miles of rallying to go before the following round in Ulster.
The BRC is as hotly contested as it has ever been. Runaway first round winner, Guy Wilks, had an eventful Jim Clark, throwing his Evo through a hedge in a downpour, while team mate Gwyndaf Evans has yet to finish under his own steam, with transmission woes on both events.
Championship leader, Mark Higgins, has struggled to match the outright pace of Wilks’ Mitsubishi, but he is not triple British Rally Champion for nothing. He set a fastest time overall on the Jim Clark in the wet, even against the might of the Irish Tarmac World Rally Car brigade, and it would be a foolish gambler who bet against him on his Manx home ground.
Higgins is ably supported by new Subaru team mate, Wyn Humphries, who admits his tarmac experience is slightly lacking, although he cannot be far away from a podium finish, opening his BRC account with two solid fourth places. He holds second in the championship table ahead of Wilks, who has 21 points.
Just one point adrift is David Higgins in his brand new Toyota S2000, which took an astonishing second place in the previous round. Astonishing because on the opening round in April, the car was still being finished as the rally began.
The event gets underway with a shakedown stage on Wednesday (UK time) before the main start on Thursday evening at the Sea Terminal in Douglas.
The rally is also a round of the Irish Tarmac Championship, so the entry list is headed by a number of World Rally Cars that won’t be eligible for British Rally Championship points.
Leading entries:
Eugene Donnelly and Paul Kiely (Subaru Impreza)
Eamonn Boland and Francis Regan (Ford Focus)
Paul Bird and Andy Richardson (Subaru Impreza)
Andreas Mikkelsen and Ola Floene (Ford Focus)
Mark Higgins and Rory Kennedy (Subaru Impreza N)
Guy Wilks and Phil Pugh (Mitsubishi Lancer N)
Gwyndaf Evans and Huw Lewis (Mitsubishi Lancer N)
David Higgins and Ieuan Thomas (Toyota Corolla S2000)
PJ McDermott and Sean Harris (Subaru Impreza)
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