Higgins WINS and makes Isle of Man history!
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Higgins makes Rally Isle of Man history
Mark Higgins has become the first ever five time winner of Rally Isle of Man, his home international, after finally winning through an event long battle with Cork driver Keith Cronin.
There was some concern as to whether Mark and Bryan Thomas would even get their Pirelli TEG Sport Subaru to the start line of the second day after late clutch problems last night. In fact they had to drive the whole of the opening 60 mile loop across four stages without a working clutch, causing two stalls which handed the lead to Cronin.
Irish young gun Keith Cronin has truly impressed his peers on the Island, few take Mark Higgins on and trade tenths of seconds with him on the Manx stages, but Cronin did. He set the stages alight with talent and enthusiasm and truly proved himself as one to watch in the future.
Behind the top duo, it was an emotional finish for both the third and fourth placed finishers. In third place were Alistair Fisher and Rory Kennedy. Rory has completed the event many times with Alistair's uncle, the late Bertie Fisher, so both men commented on how much it meant to take a podium position on such a special event.
Meanwhile local driver Steve Quine went through the final time control with a tear in his eye, having taken his highest placed finish ever on his home international rally. Co-driven by Paul McCann he had struggled with brake problems on his Mitsubishi and had said he would be happy just to make the finish.
Euan Thorburn/Campbell Roy rounded off the top five, with Dave Weston Jr/Aled Davies taking sixth. Northern Ireland's Martin McCormack, co-driven by Phil Clarke, finished seventh overall, top two-wheel drive, and top in the Citroen C2-R2 Cup.
While Jason Pritchard/Andrew Edwards were relieved to take eighth after suffering with gearbox problems through the last loop of stages, and Tom Walster/Craig Parry managed to get their Renault Clio round to finish ninth despite struggling with initial set up. They also took the class R3 win.
Rounding out the top ten was local driver Andy Leece, co-driven by Richard Skinner. The duo were given the chance to compete in the Manx Motorsport Youth Trust's Fiesta, and at the finish Leece was quite emotional about taking a top ten result on his home event.

Final Overall Positions after stage 20 - Classic
Pos. No. Driver Co-driver Car Class Total
1 1 Mark Higgins Bryan Thomas Subaru Impreza N11 R4 2:37:47.2
2 2 Keith Cronin Greg Shinnors Mitsubishi Evo 9 R4 2:39:13.6
3 3 Alistair Fisher Rory Kennedy Mitsubishi Evo 9 R4 2:44:12.5
4 11 Steven Quine Paul McCann Mitsubishi Evo 6 A8 2:47:44.0
5 7 Euan Thorburn Campbell Roy Subaru Impreza R4 2:48:18.9
6 8 Dave Weston_Jnr Aled Davies Subaru Impreza N14 R4 2:52:10.0
7 25 Martin McCormack Phil Clarke Citroen C2 R2 Max R2 2:53:17.4
8 26 Jason Pritchard Andrew Edwards Citroen C2 R2 Max R2 2:54:15.4
9 15 Tom Walster Craig Parry Renault Clio R3 R3 2:54:30.5
10 20 Andrew Leece Richard Skinner Ford Fiesta ST R3 2:57:47.8

Edwards completes a double challenge
Welshman Matt Edwards and Manx co-driver Rob Fagg completed back to back victories on the Isle of Man Challenge Rally.
While they sneaked home by little more than a second yesterday, today was much more straightforward, bringing their Ford Fiesta home 4.31.6s ahead of Neil Matthews and John Connor.
Local Ramsey driver David Radcliffe, a relative newcomer to Challenge level competition, scored an excellent top three finish, with Steve Hartley in his Suzuki Swift.
Championship leaders Dick Archer and Tom Ward did not start after their gearbox woes of yesterday.

Overall Positions after stage 20 - Classic
Pos. No. Driver Co-driver Car Class Total
1 62 Ross Forde Gary McElhinney Ford Fiesta ST RC3 1:17:30.9
2 61 Matt Edwards Rob Fagg Ford Fiesta ST RC3 1:17:36.8
3 63 Neil Matthews John Connor Vauxhall Nova RC1 1:22:08.4
4 66 David Radcliffe Steve Hartley Suzuki Swift GTI RC1 1:23:06.9
5 68 Austin Mckinlay Anthony Palmer Peugeot 205 GTI 1.9 RC3 1:23:10.2
6 64 Brett Griffin Sam Fordham Peugeot 106 Gti RC2 1:23:20.9
7 67 James Watts Janice Moore Volkswagen Polo RC1 1:25:30.1

Evans completes Historic dominance
Gwyndaf Evans and Huw Lewis were fastest through every stage in the Historic Rally. Indeed, had they been competing in the International event, they could have finished third - in a 30 year old car.
They came home 5m14s ahead of Phil Collins and Diarmud Falvey in their Opel Ascona, and took top honours in the Category 3 class.
The Category 1 class was won by Dessie Nutt and Geraldine McBride in their Porsche 911, and Steve Smith took top honours in Category 2, with John Nichols co-driving.

Overall Positions after stage 20- Classic
Category 1 Cars (registered before 31/12/67)
Pos. No. Driver Co-driver Car Class Total
1 122 Dessie Nutt Geraldine McBride Porsche 911 B5 2:58:14.0
2 130 Gary Edington Jane Edington Singer Chamois B1 3:04:27.8
3 144 Stephen Higgins David Corlett Mini Cooper S B2 3:14:22.8
4 142 Shinobu Kitani Makoto Mizoi Austin Mini Cooper S B2 3:20:34.8
5 143 John Moxon Stephen Moxon Volvo Amazon 122S B4 3:21:40.9

Category 2 Cars (registered between 1/1/68 and 31/12/74)
Pos. No. Driver Co-driver Car Class Total
1 102 Steve Smith John Nichols Porsche 911 C4 2:41:16.6
2 106 David Stokes Guy Weaver Ford Escort RS1600 C5 2:42:28.0
3 107 Ernie Graham Ashley Trimble Ford Escort RS1600 C5 2:44:15.7
4 109 Derek Boyd Roisin Boyd Porsche 911 C4 2:44:40.7
5 108 Rupert Lomax David Alcock Ford Escort Mk1 C5 2:44:56.7

Category 3 Cars (registered between 1/1/75 to 31/12/81)
Pos. No. Driver Co-driver Car Class Total
1 101 Gwyndaf Evans Huw Lewis Ford Escort D5 2:32:59.3
2 105 Phil Collins Diarmuid Falvey Opel Ascona D5 2:38:14.1
3 103 Mark Solloway Den Golding Ford Escort RS1800 D5 2:40:38.3
4 104 Darren Moon Chris Parsons Ford Escort MkII D5 2:43:26.1
5 112 Ian Corkill Rivka Corkill Ford Escort MkII RS1800 D5 2:44:46.5

Collister completes Trophy hat-trick
Home driver George Collister completed a hat-trick of wins on the Isle of Man Trophy Rally, with Janet Craine on the notes.
Brothers Lee and David Batty led throughout the first half of the event, though it was always a tight battle with Collister and the Darrian of James Hoseason and Maurice Jellie.
Collister eventually took the lead on his home Cringle stage, and held on over the final two stages for a 56.6s win, with Batty and Hoseason settling for second.

Final Overall Positions after stage 20 - Classic
Pos. No. Driver Co-driver Car Class Total
1 201 George Collister Janet Craine Mitsubishi Evo3 3 0:55:31.0
2 203 Lee Batty David Batty Ford Escort MkII 2 0:56:27.6
3 202 James Hoseason Maurice Jellie Darrian T90 GT 3 0:57:28.8
4 205 David Corris Paul Bumfrey Ford Cosworth WRC 3 0:59:05.3
5 210 James Quirk Edwin Kennaugh Vauxhall Corsa 2 1:00:18.7
6 207 Mark Straker Neil Harrison Darrian T9 2 1:00:42.2
7 206 Glenn Leece John Tarrant Subaru Impreza 3 1:00:45.3
8 214 Kevin Vondy Nicholas Kaighin Vauxhall Corsa 1 1:00:46.6
9 211 David Craine Jane Leece Ford Escort Cosworth 3 1:02:06.1
10 219 Guy Simpkiss Debbie Perry Vauxhall Astra Sport 2 1:02:47.3

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IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT
RECCE:-  Due to concerns raised from a couple of competitors, the reconnaissance period on Thursday 9th July has been extended by 1½  hours. This now means that reconnaissance will finish at 19:30hrs instead of 18:00hrs.
SHAKEDOWN:- Due to the increase in time for the reconnaissance on Thursday 9th July, the shakedown stage has now been extended till 21:30hrs.
CEREMONIAL START:- As a result of the time extensions to both the RECCE and SHAKEDOWN, at the present time the Ceremonial Start has been cancelled

Island gears up for Rally fever
The Isle of Man, the ‘road racing capital of the world’, is readying itself for one of its biggest events, with Rally Isle of Man taking centre stage later this week.
The event features as a round of no fewer than eight British and Irish Championships and as a result 135 rally teams from around the world are set to descend on the island for one of the most prestigious rallies in the British Isles.
Transport operators are already reporting themselves to be very busy and last year the event left hotel accommodation at a premium.
’Rally week’ formally gets underway on Wednesday evening, with the always popular pre-event BBQ taking place at the TT Grandstand, the hub for the event organisation and the service park throughout.
The BBQ smoke will begin to rise at 6.30pm. The public can attend by purchasing a ticket at the Rally Office in the Conference Centre, but even better, it is free to all competitors and officials…
…and since Wednesday night is the principle signing-on evening for marshals, why not give it a go. The star drivers will also be at the Grandstand signing in for the event, so you never know who you may pop into!
If you can’t make Wednesday but would like to marshal, then you can pop in to the Rally Office throughout the week, or call Chief Marshal John Gill on 07624 451321. Even a few hours spared would be a huge help.
On Thursday it’s the first chance to see the cars, with pre-event scrutineering taking place throughout the day. Once again spectators are welcome.
That evening the teams take to the roads for the first time with the shakedown stage at Baldromma near Baldrine, a final chance for crews to settle themselves in. Roads are closed from 6.15pm till not later than 9.30pm, but spectator access is limited. Please park carefully if attending.
The event then roars into life from the TT Grandstand at 10am sharp on Friday morning, with local hero Mark Higgins leading the field into action.
Always a huge challenge, the near 12-hour day is one of the longest in British rallying, taking in 100 stage miles across the island over 12 tests on closed public roads. They include the mammoth 21.38-mile Newtown test (SS4), one of the longest anywhere in the British Isles, and the traditional night-time double header through the streets of Castletown (SS10/11), ancient capital of Man.
Saturday is no easy run to the champagne either. A further eight tests complete the event, covering another 80 miles. As well as another run at Newtown (SS17), the Classic stage (SS20) brings crews to quite literally a Grandstand finish, covering the final miles of the TT course in full competition. Whoever sprays the champagne will certainly have earnt it!
Why not come along and see all the action unfold? The Grandstand is completely free to spectators throughout the event!
Rally programmes are on sale now at outlets across the island, packed with features and all the information you’ll need to follow the event.

Manx Challenge for BRCC
As the 2009 BRC Challenge season approaches its half-way point, the first of two innovative format events, Rally Isle of Man, will get underway on Friday and Saturday 10th & 11th July. 
Richard Archer and Thomas Ward head the field, as crews tackle their option of “overseas” events, choosing the double header Manx event over the similar format Ulster Rally in August. Archer will be on a charge for a hat-trick of victories in the ultra-quick Corsa, but he is likely to be pushed all the way by round one winner and Fiesta SportTrophy (FST) leader Matt Edwards and Manx co-driver Rob Fagg. Having missed the Jim Clark Rally, Edwards is playing catch-up on points, as he lies sixth in the series, a full 41 points adrift of Archer 
Archer may feel reasonably safe at the front, since his nearest rival John Boyd will not be there. But with 31 points available on each of the two Isle of Man events, next nearest rivals Brett Griffin/Sam Fordham and Neil Matthews/John Connor could easily leapfrog ahead with good results. 
To further add to the intrigue, FST driver Ross Forde will run third on the road on his second visit to the Manx lanes. While he can score points in the BRCC, this is his first event in the 2009 series, the Irishman having switched from the British Rally Championship, but still able to score in the FST. 
Leading RC1 class driver Matthews will hope that he and Connor can maintain the momentum they seem to be building as the season progresses, struggling early on but showing good pace on the Jim Clark where they took third. 
Another crew leading their class, RC2, Griffin and Fordham will continue their steep asphalt learning curve on the tricky Manx lanes, the Peugeot driver admitting back on the Jim Clark, that it was his first non-airfield sealed surface rally. 
Ex single seater FST competitor Robert Barrable will be looking to not only gain more points in the Fiesta series, but to close the gap to the highest placed Junior category driver on this event, James Watts. Barrable and fellow Irishman Seamus O’Grady have had a difficult 2009 so far, failing to finish on Rally North Wales and missing the Jim Clark Rally. 
Manx youngster David Radcliffe and Cumbrian co-driver Steve Hartley should go well here, having been second on round four last year. Their experience on round five, (the event split in ’08 as this year), was not so good though, clipping a rock in their Swift. 
James Watts is re-joined on Rally Isle of Man by Janice Moore, the partnership formed on the Pirelli obviously working well. Still driving the diminutive Polo, Watts took two excellent third places last year and narrowly missed out on third in the Championship after a last round retirement. 
Finally Austin McKinlay and Anthony Palmer will hope for a better event than last time out. Transmission problems left them with little mileage on the Jim Clark Rally, so they effectively start their BRCC asphalt experience here on the difficult Manx lanes. 
Obviously the Island is famous for motorsport and the whole event is based at the famous TT Grandstand overlooking Douglas, but another feature which has played its part in deciding this classic event is the swiftly changing weather. 
Tyre choice will be critical in potentially changeable conditions and with two rallies in one, the permutations of who could lead the British Rally Championship’s support series after Saturday’s fifth round are endless.

Event Format:
Rally Isle of Man (International)   
180 stage miles on some of the finest tarmac stages in the world
Reconnaissance 4/5/9 July – 2 passes only
Ceremonial Start on Douglas Promenade
Shakedown Stage early Thursday (July 9) evening
Day 1 starts Friday at 10.00 (July 10) with 12 stages and 100 stage miles
Day 2 starts Saturday (July 11) at 09.00 with 8 stages and 80 stage miles
Prize Presentation starts at 20.30 on Saturday (July 11) 
 
Isle of Man Historic Rally (National A)   
160 stage miles on some of the finest tarmac stages in the world
Reconnaissance 4/5/9 July – 2 passes only
Ceremonial Start on Douglas Promenade
Shakedown Stage early Thursday (July 9) evening
Day 1 starts Friday at 11.00 (July 10) with 11 stages and 80 stage miles
Day 2 starts Saturday (July 11) at 10.00 with 8 stages and 80 stage miles
Prize Presentation starts at 20.30 on Saturday (July 11) 
 
Isle of Man Challenge Rally (National B)  
155 stage miles on some of the finest tarmac stages in the world
Reconnaissance 4/5/9 July – 2 passes only
Ceremonial Start on Douglas Promenade
Shakedown Stage early Thursday (July 9) evening
Rally 1 starts Friday at 13.00 (July 10) with 11 stages and 85 stage miles
Rally 2 starts Saturday at 10.00 (July 11) with 8 stages and 80 stage miles
Prize Presentation starts at 20.30 on Saturday (July 11)
Fiesta SportTrophy UK only do Day 1
 
Isle of Man Trophy Rally (National B)  
80 stage miles on some of the finest tarmac stages in the world
Reconnaissance 4/5/9 July – 2 passes only
Shakedown Stage early Thursday (July 9) evening
Rally  starts Saturday at 11.00 (July 11) with 8 stages and 80 stage miles
Prize Presentation starts at 20.30 on Saturday (July 11)

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