HomeNews International Rally Isle of Man - 17-19 July 08
International Rally Isle of Man - 17-19 July 08
Mark Higgins wins Manx thriller Videos and Photos! Press Releases
Mark Higgins wins Manx thriller Mark Higgins took a last gasp victory to become a four-time winner of Rally Isle of Man. Going into the last stage the Manxman, driving an Atlas TEG Sport Group N Subaru Impreza, was 14.7 seconds ahead of Wexford's Eamonn Boland in his Subaru Impreza WRC. As the crowds thronged the grandstand, many of them had stop watches at the ready to see if local hero Mark had managed to hold onto the lead. As he crossed the finish line the home crowd cheered. He had held the lead since the last stage on Thursday night, and set five fastest stage times throughout the event, having called the weather correctly all the way through to mid service this morning. Trying to protect a 47.7 second lead after Boland had already hit back on the drying roads. Mark gambled on taking an intermediate tyre for a loop that included the longest stage of the rally, Conister Trust Cringle. It was completely the wrong decision, and Irish Tarmac Rally Championship leader Boland slashed the lead to 15 seconds, with just two stages to go. The victory means Mark is now joins Tony Pond and Russell Brookes, as the only other driver to win the event four times. In addition, the final 11.6 second margin makes it the closest finish in the 45 year history of the rally. For Mark's co-driver Rory Kennedy it's a first island win after over 20 years of trying, during which time he has led the event on more than one occasion with the late Bertie Fisher. The runner-up spot for Boland means he and Damien Morrissey narrowly failed to tie up the Global Group Irish Tarmac Rally Championship title on the Isle of Man. Behind, Guy Wilks and David Moynihan completed a fine comeback drive after Friday's accident, overhauling Tesco 99 Octane British Rally Championship leader David Higgins on the first stage of the day, Visitisleofman.com St Runius. David and his co-driver Ieuan Thomas finished right behind Wilks in fourth, and continues to lead the British Rally Championship. James Wozencroft and Chris Ridge put a superb run in to finish fifth, on their third BRC outing in the Revolution Wheels Subaru Impreza, while Darren Gass and Neil Shanks took sixth in their Pirelli Mitsubishi Lancer which was Gass's prize for winning the BRC's Pirelli Star Driver shoot out last year. On the subject of the Pirelli Star Driver, the nomination on Rally Isle of Man was Sweden's Andreas Sjolander. Although he crashed out of the event in the 17th of the 23 stages, he had been running ninth in a Fiesta ST. Leading two-wheel drive car was the Renault Clio S1600 of Brian O'Mahony and John Higgins, after their rally long battle with Guy Woodcock ended when Guy crashed the Escort Maxi kit car on the Cringle stage.
Jimmy McRae takes Historics win Jimmy McRae preserved his overnight lead to take a convincing win in the Isle of Man Historic Rally. Along with Andy Richardson in the Stobart Porsche 911, the pair finished 49.6 seconds ahead of Steve Smith and John Nichols in a similar 911. Richard Hill and Patrick Cooper took third in their Ford Escort. Dessie Nutt and Geraldine McBride were the winners of the true historics.
Harrison doubles up Home driver David Harrison and co-driver Glyn Thomas made it two out of two on the Challenge Rally. They initially trailed BRC Challenge opponents Richard Sykes and Simon Taylor, finally pushing their Peugeot 106 into the lead three stages from home to extend their championship advantage.
Collister scores second Trophy win There was also a Manx win in the Trophy Rally. George Collister following up his 2002 victory with a near two minute victory over Rodney White and Sorcha Kelly in their Talbot Sunbeam. George and co-driver Janet Craine inherited the lead with their Mitsubishi Lancer Evo3 when overnight leaders Lee and David Batty crashed their Ford Escort Mk2 out of the rally on the first stage of the morning. Third place went to Kex Walker and Maurice Snell in their BMW 325.
Rally Isle Of Man 2008 Accident on Cringle Stage SS4
Rally Isle of Man Trophy Rally 08
Rally Isle of Man THOLT-E-WILL 2
O’Mahony and Higgins get championship back on track on Rally Isle of Man Irish crew Brian O’Mahony and John Higgins got their British Rally Championship (BRC) campaign back on track with a solid result on this weekend’s (17 – 19 July) Rally Isle of Man. The pair finished an impressive seventh overall and first in class R3 in their OM Concrete Products and MIS-backed Super 1600 Renault Clio in round three of the BRC. They posted consistent stage times inside the top 10 and were fifth fastest on stage 15 as they had a relatively trouble-free run on the tarmac event. It was the first time in two years that they had contested the rally and O’Mahony and Higgins had a lucky escape on stage four on Thursday night when they misjudged the location of a chicane but made it round to keep on course. A close battle with the Ford Escort Kit Car of Guy Woodcock and John Skinner developed after the first stage and as the fight heated up on Saturday, they made sure they pushed hard to keep the pace and had quite a few close moments over the final few stages but made it round to the finish ramp at the TT Grandstand in Douglas to collect more points in the BRC. “It was a really enjoyable event but extremely tough,” 23-year-old O’Mahony said. “I’m pleased with the result and it’s good to get our BRC season back on course after the disappointment of not finishing the previous rounds. “We had a good battle for position with Guy and John that kept the pressure on and the car went really well. I’m now looking forward to the next round in August.” The result sees O’Mahony move up to 15th equal in the BRC drivers’ standings, to sixth in the junior drivers’ table and third in class R3 whilst Higgins is 17th in the overall co-drivers’ championship and second in class R3. The crew will return to action across the tarmac in round four of the BRC, the Ulster International Rally, on 22 – 23 August.
Atlas-TEG Sport wins titanic battle on the Isle of Man. Atlas TEG Sport crew Mark Higgins – navigated by Rory Kennedy – have won the International Rally Isle of Man outright in their production class Subaru Impreza N11, beating opposition from works teams and entrants with latest specification World Rally Cars on the way. This three-day rally which had 150 entries was a round of the Tesco ’99 British Rally Championship and the Global Group Irish Tarmac Championship and the rally started on Thursday evening with four stages, run over the difficult, narrow and bumpy lanes of the Isle of Man in changeable weather conditions, with both wind and sharp showers – making the route treacherous, as even when the roads were nearly dry there were still many damp patches under trees to catch out unwary crews. Mark and the TEG team chose the best tyres suitable for the conditions and as a result they were able to set several fastest stage times and throughout the rally were never outside of the top three overall, and were up from third place to first overall, with a lead of 18 seconds at the overnight halt, despite a spin on the hairpin bend at Ronague. The second day of the rally lasted more tan twelve hours and used parts of the famous TT course and the Tholt –y-will hillclimb and Mark set some spectacular times In his efforts to win and his navigator Rory was desperate to do well, as he had previously competed on the rally several times with the late, great Irish driver Bertie Fisher, but had not previously won this event. A sterling drive on the second day had seen Mark and Rory extend their lead, but they had to be wary of the high powered WRC car that had looked favourite to win and sure enough their lead was diminishing on the third day, as the improving weather suited the more powerful cars but the inspired tyre selection by Mark and the team boss of Atlas-TEG Sport Stuart Newby, together with Mark’s driving held on to the lead. Mark and Rory crossed the finish line to claim another history-making victory for the Atlas-TEG Sport team, after their previous win on the Jim Clark Rally. Team boss, Stuart Newby said “We are on it now, it’s a fantastic result for the whole team and we feel we are in a strong position to win theTesco ’99 British Rally Championship”. Mark has now won this rally on four occasions – beating the results of such great drivers as Roger Clark, Tony Pond and Jimmy McRae but to win in a production class car, against WRC opposition and with such a high quality entry, including top Scandinavian and Irish crews, as well as the regular drivers in the British Rally Championship, was an outstanding achievement for Mark and all of the Atlas-TEG Sport crew. Mark said that “TEG have done a fantastic job of setting the car up and once again it ran faultlessly “. This was the first time ever that a production class Group N car has won the Isle of Man Rally. Now it’s back to Warton, near Carnforth, to prepare for the next round of the Tesco ‘99 British Rally Championship – the Rally of Ulster, which takes place on the 22nd and 23rd of August.
Higgins grabs the advantage as the weather turns Atlas TEG Sport Subaru crew Mark Higgins and Rory Kennedy lead the way after the opening nights action of Rally Isle of Man after battling through the rain to snatch the lead on the final stage. There were only four stages on the agenda following the tea-time start at the TT Grandstand, but three lead changes summed up a fraught nights work for the crews. As expected Wexford's Eamonn Boland and Damien Morrissey led the way on the opening five mile Wilkind Diamonds Marine Drive test in the Subaru WRC, but only by 2.2 seconds from Darlington's works Mitsubishi driver Guy Wilks and co-driver David Moynihan, with Mark Higgins only a further two tenths back in third. Boland incurred a 10 second penalty for a late arrival at stage two, Breitling Balley Cashtal, handing the lead to Wilks, who then left the other production crews agog with a brilliant stage time, Mark Higgins in particular disbelieving that he'd dropped six seconds in little more than a mile. To prove the point Wilks matched Boland on the second run, pushing the lead up to 7.6 seconds, though it is Boland who'll take the Breitling watch award for the fastest aggregate time. Stuart Jones in the MG Super 2000 had a flying start to the rally, up to fourth place, but was sidelined at the end of the stage with a broken wheel bearing, promoting Wilks' team-mate Phillip Morrow to the position. David Higgins held fifth in the Team TQ.com Subaru despite braking too early at the finish of the opening stage and a half spin on the first Castletown run. However the leaderboard was turned on its head on the final stage of the night, and the longest of the rally, 13.66 miles of the Conister Trust Cringle test. Just as the leading crews arrived so did the rain, heavy too, and the fog, and many crews had left the Grandstand an hour and a half earlier on slick tyres! Boland had a spin and dropped 40 seconds; worse for Wilks, a puncture in the opening few miles meant he did well to drop only 25, leaving Higgins, who did have some cuts to take an 18 second lead. 'It should have been more', Higgins reported. 'We had a spin at Rongaue and then dropped at least 10 seconds negotiating the bale, but it was really difficult, spinning wheels in fourth gear!' Morrow backed right off, knowing the value of getting to the finish, allowing David Higgins to take fourth overnight. James Wozencroft and Chris Ridge in their Revolution Wheels Impreza also had a spin but sixth overnight is a good piece of work, with Pirelli Mitsubishi driver Darren Gass seventh and Brian O'Mahony doing brilliantly to hold eighth in the two-wheel drive Renault Clio. Tomorrow is one of the longest days in British rallying, crews on the road for 12 hours to tackle 12 stages, covering 94 miles.
End day 1 Coming into Service after Day 1 International: 10 - Wozencroft - reported stage 4 to be very slippy (running on slicks in the fog/light rain over Round Table) and also a loss of the anti-lag for the last 4 miles 11 - Lost time with an altercation with a hedge - driver thinks about 5 mins 9 - Struggled with the fog on the Round Table
Historic crews 101 - McRae lost the fan belt after stage 1, but managed to fix it at the roadside - just making it to stage 2 within their time. otherwise car is running fine. driver's first event after recovering from a broken arm on a previous event, seems to be holding up so far! 102 - Getting used to being on tar again and not been in historics before - big skids in the MkII escort 103 - Driver's finding the ride height a little high, but will hopefully adjust it overnight 105 - Having good run so far - only a few secs off Stokes and a long way to go! SS4 - Higgins leads now!
The changeable weather has caught out many crews on the longest stage of the rally - ss4. It rained heavily just as the top drivers were going onto the stage up over the hills. Eamonn Boland took it cautiously, 13:32.8 his time. Guy Wilks punctured a couple of miles in and tried not to overdriver for 10 miles or so, meaning he dropped remarkably little time, but still enough to hand an 18 second advantage to Mark Higgins. Mark said that should have been 10 more after he spun at the Ronague hairpin at mid distance, and then lost more time negotiating the bale. Spinning wheels in 4th gear tough cant be much fun!! David Higgins described the stage as horrendous, had a misting screen and standard slicks. He dropped time earlier by backing off too early at the end of the first stage, then a half spin on ss2.
21.00 Thurs - Driver Quotes SS1 - end of stage 3 Wilks - Started well quite happy with car 4 M Higgins - Slight understeer so a steady start 5 D Higgins Understeering hard on tyres 6 P Morrow gettign back up to speed 7 S Jones - driver felt he could have committed a bit harder - liked the stage 8 Kelleher - driver felt he was not trusting the car car, could have gone faster 10 - Wozencroft - driver commented he hasn't had much practice making notes on double width roads and finds he could have gone faster using the full width. 12 - Greer - Tricky braking points it's so fast in there 18 - O'Mahoney - bit more grip in there than expected 19 - Gould - very slippy (rain had just started) may change tyres later on (carrying wet spares) 21 - Robertson - Happy the first stage is over 22 - Cannell - slippier than expected SS2 & 3 4 - M Higgins - couldn't understand how Wilks went so fast in there 7 - S Jones - Brake pedal going to the floor - subsequently found stopped at the side of the road with the a collapsed wheel bearing 10 - Wozencroft - ok getting drier now - although could be challenging on the next stage as they're on slicks! 14 - Swann - trying to find their way back up to speed 17 - Woodcock - better second time through 19 - Gould - Missing a wheel nut so hoping everything holds together for the final stage.
Jones NEWS FLASH.... Stuart Jones reported out of the rally after a wheel bearing collapsed in the third stage.
SS3 Stage 3 times just coming in... and show Guy Wilks has pulled out the lead to 7.6 seconds over Mark Higgins. Eamonn Boland lies third, 9.2 seconds behind Wilks due to a ten second penalty showing on the results for late arrival at a time control.
SS2 - Wilks leads 19:30 Thurs - Guy Wilks has taken the lead of Rally Isle of Man in the second stage, Balley Cashtal 1. He now leads the event by 5.8 seconds over Mark Higgins, with Eamonn Boland third in his World Rally Car. Behind them Stuart Jones lies fourth, Phillip Morrow fifth and David Higgins sixth.
SS1 NEWS FLASH... Results just in for the first stage.... the news so far shows Eamon Boland leading, with Guy Wilks 2.2 seconds behind, then Mark Higgins two tenths of a second behind. Lying fourth is Stuart Jones, with David Higgins fifth and Phillip Morrow sixth.
18.30 Thurs Start Ramp It's 6.30pm and Rally Isle fo Man is underway - Eamonn Boland and Damien Morrissey have rolled of the ramp in front of the TT Grandstand. In the absence of Mel Evans, who is a non starter, Guy Wilks is next on the road. Wilks being partnered by David Moynihan on the event while Phil Pugh recovers from a back injury. Wilks leads off the BRC contingent of the event, with local heroes Mark Higgins and his brother David next on the road, Mark co-driven by Rory Kennedy, David by Ieuan Thomas.
Underway! 18:53 The revs should be rising and boom, Eamonn Boland and Damien Morrissey power the Subaru Impreza S12B into action on this 45th Rally Isle of Man. They're tackling the first of tonights 4 stages, 5.07 miles of Wilkins Diamonds Marine Drive. Weather conditions are mixed, but the roads are dry and Boland's on slicks, with spare inter's if needed
Rally Isle of Man: Boland's to lose? When Rally Isle of Man fires into life at tea-time on Thursday to head for the unique town centre stage in Castletown, Eamonn Boland will be seeking to all but secure a maiden Global Group Irish Tarmac Championship. Wexford driver Boland and co-driver Damien Morrissey have already chalked up three victories this year and will lead the main Isle of Man International Rally off the start ramp at the Grandstand. The pair will be red-hot favourites in the absence of other world rally car crews, including Welshman Mel Evans and Limerick's Sean Mullally, who withdrew late on Tuesday. Starting behind Boland will therefore be the main protagonists in the Tesco 99 Octane British Rally Championship, headed by reigning champion Guy Wilks from Darlington in the first of the factory Mitsubishi Motors UK entries. With regular co-driver Phil Pugh out through injury, David Moynihan comes in for the pace-note duties. The pair are just back from last weekend's Rally Russia, switching from gravel back to asphalt. As ever on the Isle of Man, the locals will look for strong performances from the Higgins brothers. Both Mark and David under-performed twelve months ago, but both are right in the title hunt. David tops the standings coming into the event in a Team TQ.com Subaru N14, David taking on the dual role of team boss and driver. Mark meanwhile will drive a slightly older model Subaru for the Atlas TEG Sport camp. Should Boland hit any trouble across the tough three day event, these three drivers are the most likely to score what would be a first ever showroom category outright victory on the event. They'll be joined by the other leading lights of the British series, including Ulstermen Phillip Morrow and Darren Gass (Mitsubishi's), and Wales's Stuart Jones (MG). Kevin Kelleher and John McGlaughlin (Mitsubishi's) will also add to the category battle, as they continue their fight for the Irish production title. The Isle of Man Historic Rally has attracted a stellar line-up too, led by five-time former British champion Jimmy McRae in a Porsche 911. Other former event winners on the list include the Porsche's of Steven Smith, Adrian Kermode, Dessie McCartney and Dessie Nutt, the Ford Escort's of David Stokes and Ian Corkill, and Glenn Leece with his Mini Cooper S. The Isle of Man Challenge Rally is headed by the leading Silverstone Tyres British Challenge contenders, Stourbridge's Richard Sykes and Ramsey's David Harrison. The event also includes the Trophy Rally, where Rob Watson and Bruce Craig will bid for successive victories. Renowned as one of the toughest events on the rally calendar, crews will tackle 23 closed roads stages between Thursday and Saturday afternoon. It all gets underway tonight from the Grandstand at 6.30pm, heading for the opening Marine Drive before the double run through Castletown and onto the longest test of the event, 13.66 miles of Cringle and Round Table. A further 12 stages follow on Friday across the island, the leading crews leaving the Grandstand at 8.55am and returning at 8.25pm. Saturday then has a final seven tests in store, including the final Classic test to finish at the Grandstand at 3pm. This is the 45th running of the event, which has the names of world champions Colin McRae, Richard Burns and Ari Vatanen on its roll of honour.
Rally Isle of Man fills the island! The 2008 Rally Isle of Man, which takes place from today until Saturday, has proven so popular with spectators, competitors and officials that it has filled the island! The event, which is a round of the two major British Isles international championships, the Tesco 99 Octane British Rally Championship and the Global Group Irish Tarmac Championship, and several other national series in addition, will see over 150 rally teams tackle the islands famous closed public road stages. Along with significant numbers of spectators and officials travelling to the rally, the influx has prompted the 'house full' signs to go up, with the Department of Tourism struggling to find available rooms. Even the rally organisers are having difficulty finding accommodation to fill demand. 'It's causing a few headaches, but in other respects it's great news', says Rally Manager Richard Bargery. 'We are one of the islands major tourism events and this is one sign of the popularity of the rally, and that it is growing year-on-year'. This is the 45th running of the event, which has the names of world champions Colin McRae, Richard Burns and Ari Vatanen on its roll of honour.
Rally Isle of Man Official Merchandise Launched The 2008 Rally Isle of Man takes place this week starting on Thursday the 17th of July, with many of the country's leading drivers descending on the Island for three days of competition on some of the toughest stages in Europe. The organisers of the rally are delighted to announce a new partnership with local company Motorsport Merchandise, who will be producing the official merchandise for the event. The company who also hold the rights to produce official merchandise for the Isle of Man TT Races, will be producing a range including high quality jackets, polo shirts and T-shirts. To get your hands on what is likely to be a highly sought after range, visit the Rally Isle of Man Official Merchandise store situated at the TT Grandstand, HQ for Rally Isle of Man, which will be open throughout the rally period. You can also find these items at the Motorsport Merchandise store in Strand Street Douglas (close to the Duke shop) and in selected Pickwicks Newsagent outlets.
BHRC preview
The stunning asphalt challenge of the closed public roads of the Isle of Man forms round five of the Dunlop/Gambia MSA British Historic Rally Championship, the Isle of Man Historic Rally (17-19 July). Aside from all the major title contenders, the rally should also mark the welcome return to rallying of Jimmy McRae on his first competitive run since his accident on the Pirelli Historic Rally in April. Category 1 Hot favourite for glory in category one (for the pre '68 cars) is the Sunbeam Tiger of Patrick Watts/Elgan Davies. The former touring car racer has got the V8 Tiger flying along and will want to win on the island after retiring last year with a blown engine. However, Watts knows he will be hard pressed by the Porsche 911 of Dessie Nutt/Geraldine McBride. Dessie is a real asphalt ace and knows the Isle of Man roads very well. On gravel, the Tiger is now more than a match for the Porsche, but things could be different this weekend. Close behind Watts and Nutt in category one will be the rapid Lotus Cortinas, and this is set to be a three-way fight. Veteran Bob Bean, who celebrated his 70th birthday earlier this year, is having a great season and has young James Whitaker on the notes, so there is an age gap not far short of 50 years inside the car. Neil Calvert and Arlene Cookson head to the island with the overall BHRC lead, so they are eager for another strong result, while the hard-charging Jonathan Gale makes a welcome return with his father Graham in the co-driver's seat. In the 1300cc category, class B2, James Stait and Gill Cotton are having a great season in their MG Midget and will go up against the rapid Mini Cooper of son and father team Matt and Dood Pearce. Meanwhile, in B1, the battle is between the Hillman Imps of Gary and Jane Edgington and Mike Barratt/Jody Watson. Category 2 Category two is for the cars produced from 1968 to 1974 and it is Steven Smith and John Nichols who head the entry in their Porsche 911RS. They are real Isle of Man aces and rate this as one of their favourite rallies, so another strong run is highly probable. Ranged against Smith in more Porsches are Irish veteran Dessie McCartney and French-based Peter Lythell, but it is a gaggle of Ford Escort Mk1s that will be battling for category honours. Top dogs should be David Stokes/Guy Weaver, but chasing hard will be Ernie Graham/Robin Kellard and Rupert Lomax/David Alcock. Likely to set the pace in C3 for the Pinto-powered Escorts is the car of Ken Forster/John Stanger-Leathes, but their rivals include the fast-improving Peter Smith/Howard Pridmore and Drew Wylie/Neil Ewing from the XS Racing squad. In C2, for the 1600cc cars, Neil Rudd and Brian Hodgson head the BHRC contenders. Category 3 Category three is for the most recent cars, those produced between 1975 and 1981, and is home for the Ford Escort Mk2s. However, this is also the category for McRae/Andy Richardson in their slightly later Porsche 911RS. McRae, a past master of this event when he was a multiple British championship winner, will go up against the similar car of local ace Adrian Kermode and Irishman Maurice Beckett. A bunch of very quick Escorts will give McRae and Kermode plenty to think about, too, and it is Richard Hill and Patrick Cooper who have been flying along on the gravel rounds of the BHRC this season. However, Hill's last visit to the island in a Mitsubishi Evo ended with a big accident, so he's determined to keep out of trouble this time. Other very quick Escorts include those of two of the most spectacular crews on the rally, Dick Slaughter/Geoff Dearing and Simon Tysoe/Rob Dyson, while Frank Cunningham/Ryland James will also be great to watch in their Mk2 Escort. Offering excellent variety to the Escort pack will be the Sunbeam Lotus of Adrian and Dan Seabridge and the Vauxhall Chevette of Roger Kilty/Lynette Banks. The contest for class D3, the 2-litre Pinto powered Escorts, is shaping up to be a cracker as well, with Will Onions/Tim Hobbs, Mark and Brett Clifford and Chris Shooter/Bev LeGood all being serious contenders for the class. Of course, the BHRC contingent is only a part of the historic element of the rally and a gaggle of local and Irish crews add further depth to the entry. Notable runners include John Kirkpatrick/Martyn Quine (Sunbeam Lotus), Derek and Roisin Boyd (Porsche 911) and a clutch of quick Mini Coopers including the car of Mervyn Johnston/Wendy Blackledge.
Spectator Info!
Programmes for the 2008 Rally Isle of Man are now available from local newsagents. The programme contains full entry lists, stage maps amongst a host of other interesting reading. If you are thinking of attending the 2008 event it way be worth checking out the following sites for travel to the island. http://www.steam-packet.com/ http://www.manx2.com/ http://www.flybe.com/ http://www.easternairways.com/
Rally Isle of Man breaks 150! - 17th-19th July 2008 Next weeks 45th Rally Isle of Man has once again proven itself as one of the most popular events in the British Isles, attracting over 150 teams to the challenge of some of the fastest rally terrain in Europe. Wexford driver Eamonn Boland will lead the main Isle of Man International Rally into action at tea-time on Thursday 17th July in his Subaru WRC. Boland and Damien Morrissey currently have a convincing lead in the Global Group Irish Tarmac Championship and maximum points would all but secure a first title. Welshman Mel Evans and Limerick's Sean Mullally however are seeking to complete an island double, again in a Subaru, hoping to add the International to their Manx National title earned in May. Then come the main protagonists in the Tesco 99 Octane British Rally Championship, headed by reigning champions Guy Wilks (Darlington) and Phil Pugh (Tywyn) in the first of the factory Mitsubishi Motors UK entries. They'll once again take on two of the islands favourite son's, Mark and David Higgins. Both are former champions and David tops the standings coming into the event in a Team TQ.com Subaru N14, the car entered by David's own team. Mark meanwhile will drive a slightly older model Subaru for the Atlas TEG Sport camp. They'll be joined by the other leading lights of the British series, including Ulstermen Phillip Morrow and Darren Gass (Mitsubishi's), and Wales's Stuart Jones (MG), Kevin Kelleher and John McGlaughlin (Mitsubishi's) will also add to the category battle, as they continue their fight for the Irish production title. The Isle of Man Historic Rally has attracted a stellar line-up too, led by five-time former British champion Jimmy McRae in a Porsche 911. Other former event winners on the list include the Porsche's of Steven Smith, Adrian Kermode, Dessie McCartney and Dessie Nutt, the Ford Escort's of David Stokes and Ian Corkill, and Glenn Leece with his Mini Cooper S. The Isle of Man Challenge Rally is headed by the leading Silverstone Tyres British Challenge contenders, Stourbridge's Richard Sykes and Ramsey's David Harrison. The event also includes the Trophy Rally, where Rob Watson and Bruce Craig will bid for successive victories. Renowned as one of the toughest events on the rally calendar, crews will tackle 23 closed roads stages between Thursday and Saturday afternoon.
Isle of Man International Rally - Entry (Top 20)
1 Eamonn Boland/Damien Morrissey (Subaru Impreza S12) 2 Melvyn Evans/Sean Mullally (Subaru Impreza S11) 3 Guy Wilks/Phil Pugh (Mitsubishi Evo 9) 4 Mark Higgins/Rory Kennedy (Subaru Impreza N11) 5 David Higgins/Ieuan Thomas (Subaru Impreza N14) 6 Phillip Morrow/Daniel Barritt (Mitsubishi Evo 9) 7 Stuart Jones/Andy Bull (MG S2000 Sport) 8 Kevin Kelleher/Martin Kelleher (Mitsubishi Evo 9) 9 Darren Gass/Neil Shanks (Mitsubishi Evo 9) 10 James Wozencroft/Chris Ridge (Subaru Impreza N11) 11 Wyn Humphreys/Robert Fagg (Subaru Impreza N12) 12 Jonathan Greer/Jonny Hart (Mitsubishi Evo 9) 14 Robert Swann/Darren Garrod (Subaru Impreza N14) 15 John McGlaughlin/David Moynihan (Mitsubishi Evo 9) 16 Paul Curphey/Mark Perryman (Mitsubishi Evo 9) 17 Guy Woodcock/John Skinner (Ford Escort Maxi kit car) 18 Brian O'Mahony/John Higgins (Renault Clio S1600) 19 Adam Gould/Seb Marshall (Renualt Clio Ragnotti) 20 Andreas Sjolander/Hakan Jacobsson (Ford Fiesta Sti)
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PRESS INFORMATION: 7th July 2008 This is the latest media update from Rally Isle of Man.
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