Chris Kelly Memorial Rally (Isle of Man) - 11-12 Feb 11

Pattison/Whittaker takes comfortable win

Posted: March 27, 2011 5:41 PM

Stockport’s Dave Pattison and Bolton’s Paul Whittaker scored a dominant win on the two day Mann Construction sponsored Chris Kelly Memorial Stages Rally.

They powered their EARS Mitsubishi Evo 6 into a lead of 62 seconds on Friday night’s opening six tests at the outskirts of Laxey, fastest on every stage in atrocious weather, with thick mist and driving rain.

Andrew Leece/Graham Fargher (Evo 6) were the nearest challengers and maintained second on Saturday morning’s tests on Tholt-e-Will and Druidale until a power steering pipe came off on SS10. They ultimately retired from third spot when the propshaft snapped on the start line of the penultimate stage.

Nigel Cannell (Evo 9), who had 16-year old daughter Imogen making her debut alongside, was the only driver to take a stage win away from Pattison, on Druidale, and upped the pace significantly over the afternoon stages around Andreas in the north of the island, though not enough to make inroads on the eventual winners.

John Stone/Rob Fagg (Skoda Fabia WRC) had a fraught run on the opening night, off the road twice including one lurid spin that cost them the light pod, but recovered on Saturday’s drying condition to snatch third place on the final test from Martyn Jones/Dave Radcliffe (Evo 6), the youngster once again producing a solid performance.

Connor Corkill/Mark Perryman (Ford Escort MkII) were the leading two-wheel drive crew rounding out the top 5. Former British Junior Champion Stuart Egglestone (Vauxhall Astra) with Brian Hodgson on the notes took sixth spot while it was the father and son crew of John and Martin Cressey who were seventh in the sole surviving BMW Mini following Daniel Harper/Paula Swinscoe’s retirement on stage 12 following an altercation with a telegraph pole.

Adrian Kemode/Maurice Beckett (Porsche 911) scored top spot in the Historic class as well as taking eight place holding off the late charge of Andrew “Tugs” Sherrignton/Bradley Johnson (Evo 4) with the top ten being completed by Sean Kelly/Will Rand (Evo 6) who put in a controlled performance following there graduation to four wheel drive turbo from a 1400 Corsa.

Results

Posted: March 27, 2011 5:29 PM

Chris Kelly Memorial Rally (Isle of Man) - 11-12 Feb 11 - RESULTS (Leg 1)
Chris Kelly Memorial Rally (Isle of Man) - 11-12 Feb 11 - RESULTS (Leg 2)

Pattison aims to double up

Posted: February 10, 2011 2:39 PM

Stockport’s Dave Pattison and Bolton’s Paul Whittaker will this weekend bid to score back to back wins on Isle of Man closed roads rallies.

They swept to victory on November’s Pokerstars Rally in their Mitsubishi Evo 6, becoming the first off-island crew to win such a Manx event, and will lead a 49-car field into action from the TT Grandstand tonight (Friday) for the 18-stage Chris Kelly Memorial Stages sponsored by Mann Construction. 19 other visiting crews will line up with them.

John Stone from Blackburn, one of the UK’s top asphalt drivers, starts immediately behind in his Skoda Fabia WRC. Stone has recruited experienced local co-driver Rob Fagg for the run.

Daniel Harper and Paula Swinscoe add to the top-end challenge in their BMW Mini, and bring team-mates, father and son John and Martin Cressey once again. Harper has led the event in the past and finished fourth here in the November, from which 12 of the first 14 home re-engage one another. Cressey isn’t one of them, but finished sixth 12 months ago.

The Manx Auto Sport organised rally is the opening round of the Eurocars Motorsport Manx Rally Championship and the home challenge is headed by former champion Nigel Cannell in his Mitsubishi Evo 9, who has just-turned 16 year-old daughter Imogen alongside, making her rally debut.

Andrew Leece/Graham Fargher and Martyn Jones with David Radcliffe will be aiming to stop an all-visiting crews podium in their Evo 6’s, while Tim Collins and Paul McCann have a new Evo 9 at their disposal.

Reigning champion Connor Corkill was a late entry on Tuesday with Howard Allison, following their fine seventh place finish on last weekends North West Stages, and will use the same MkII Escort.

Among the others to watch out for are local Sean Kelly, who moves up to an Evo 6 for the first time, while Blackburn’s Tugs Sherrington makes a first visit to the island, bringing a big Mull Rally reputation with him in his Evo 4.

Class battles will keep the action going right through the field.

David Jones/Andrew Cowley are favourites for the 1400cc category in the absence of usual frontrunner Kevin Vondy. The 1600cc class could be a thriller, with visitors Ian Jones (Citroen C2R2), Chris and Heidi Woodcock (Proton Compact) and Gary Edgington (Peugeot 106) all well-experienced in the Manx lanes, with the enigmatic driving of Ben Hardy (MkII Escort) taking them on.

Former British Junior champion Stuart Egglestone (Appleby) heads the two-litre, front wheel drive entries, though both Andrew Holmes and Guy Simpkiss will aim to keep it local, Guy in particular on his home patch. All three drive Vauxhall Astra’s.

In the rear-wheel drive equivalent Corkill will be the man to beat, but among those trying will be multiple championship runner-up Kex Walker (BMW 325), John Kirkpatrick (Astra) and now regular visitors David and John Coulson (BMW 320) and Hugh Jones (Escort MkII), while the Vauxhall Chevette of Andrew Bird could be a dark horse.

Friday evening’s action is based at the TT Grandstand and covers 19 stage miles over six stages around Laxey covering Baldromma, Glen Roy and Dog Kennels twice each.

The bulk of the action however is on Saturday, with 65 stage miles in the north of the island from a base at Jurby Airfield. Tholt-e-Will and Druidale are tackled twice each in the morning, before the action moves on to St Judes and Glascoe (three times) as well as Andreas (twice), with the leaders due at the finish in Ramsey square at 3:20pm.

· For the first time the event is a round of the ANWCC Stage Rally Championship, as well as being the traditional opening round of the Eurocars Motorsport Manx Rally Championship

· The event will be filmed for inclusion on Motors TV’s Special Stage programme for the first time

· The rally is named in the memory of Chris Kelly, former Clerk of Corse of the event and long-time Manx Auto Sport Chairman. The first stage of the rally finishes outside of Chris’s home.

Manx Rally Championship

Seeded Entry List

Posted: February 10, 2011 2:36 PM

Chris Kelly Memorial Rally (Isle of Man) - 11-12 Feb 11 - ENTRY LIST

Stone headlines Chris Kelly Memorial Stages as the buzz grows

Posted: January 25, 2011 2:39 PM

With entries still open for next months Chris Kelly Memorial Stages sponsored by Mann Construction, the first Isle of Man stage rally of the year is shaping up to attract some of the UK’s leading asphalt drivers.

Blackburn’s John Stone has already submitted his entry for the February 11th & 12th event in the stunning Skoda Fabia WRC, and it’ll be the first run for the car following an on-going, extensive overhaul at Dutch specialist Erik Wevers’ workshops.

With local co-driver Rob Fagg on the notes, the challenge is definitely down to the home drivers, and the ‘buzz’ is that many of the leading crews from the MSA National Asphalt Championship could also head over the Irish Sea, making it an unofficial pre-series warm up.

Of the 20 entries in so far no fewer than 14 are from off-island crews, as the popularity of ‘clubmans’ closed roads rallying on the island grows rapidly. Only last week that was enhanced with the announcement that Motors TV will be taking coverage of the rally for the first time.

The rally is also making its debut as a round of the ANWCC Stage Rally Championship.

Other names already on the entry list include Cockermouth’s Richard and Andy Barnard (Subaru), top historic crew Adrian Kermode and Maurice Beckett (Porsche), Appleby’s Stuart Egglestone (Vauxhall Astra), and the Mitsubishi’s of Andrew Terrington and John Wood from the North West.

North Wales crews are regular visitors, with Hugh Jones’ crowd-pleasing Escort listed alongside Ian Jones’ Citroen C2, while other returning friends of Manx rallying include Blackburn’s Chris and Heidi Woodcock, who switch from their regular Mitsubishi to a Proton Compact, Yorkshire’s Kevin Jaffrey and Manchester’s David Coulson.

The home crews traditionally leave placing their entry till late, but already on the list for the Eurocars Motorsport.com Manx Rally Championship opener are Andrew Leece and Graham Fargher (Mitsubishi Evo 6), winners of last years Duke Stages, and Tim Collins and Paul McCann in a new Evo 9.

Entries for the rally, which allows reconnaissance of the stages, close at the reduced early rate this coming Friday, 28th January, and at the full rate next Tuesday, 1st February. Full details, regulations, entry forms and ferry/hotel deals can be found at www.manxautosport.org

The event is an ideal pre-season opportunity for crews wanting to test, with multiple use of stages.

The opening night features nine tests in darkness with centralised servicing at the TT Grandstand, while Saturday brings a full day of eight further daylight stages, with the rally finishing in Ramsey’s Market Square.

Throw in the banter at the post event presentation and it’s a weekend you just have to try!

Morer Details:

Manx Autosport Club

Chris Kelly Memorial Stages to receive TV Coverage

Posted: January 14, 2011 10:51 AM

Television coverage for the first time marks another milestone in the quickly-rising popularity of the club level, closed roads stage rallies on the Isle of Man.

Following recent discussions, organisers Manx Auto Sport have come to an agreement that secures next months Chris Kelly Memorial Stages sponsored by Mann Construction Ltd will be televised across the UK, a real breakthrough for club rallying on the Isle of Man.

The event which takes place on Friday February 11th and Saturday February 12th will see all the action captured by UK based production company MC-Video as crews battle it out on the testing closed road tarmac stages the island has to offer. Lancashire based MC-Video are an independent specialist UK motorsport film-maker who have in recent years covered a whole host of event’s including most recently the MSA BTRDA Asphalt Championship, a round of which was held on the Isle of Man last May.

Acting on behalf of MC-Video, local co-driver Rob Fagg put forward a proposal to the organisors of the event which will see it benefit from at least 24 minutes of coverage within one of the Special Stage shows broadcast on Motors TV. The agreement offers an excellent opportunity to promote the islands rallying further as well as the island as a whole, as Fagg explained.
“This is a fantastic opportunity for the islands rallying to once again receive promotion and Manx Auto Sport need to be congratulated on taking up this opportunity presented to them. Hopefully this coverage can help to attract further competitors to travel to the island to compete over the challenging tarmac stages it has to offer. Of course although this is good for rallying it is also very positive for the island in terms of the economy with visiting crews using hotels, restaurants, shops etc while they are here, in particular outside of the normal tourist season.”

This event is one of three club level stage rallies that take place annually on the island, and which are coming to be considered 'hidden jewels' in the islands hectic motorsport calendar.

Manx Auto Sport have been organising the event since 1995, and a core of loyal UK crews has blossomed over the last couple of years as word spreads. They are encouraged by the clubs’ commitment to improving the event year on year whilst keeping competitors at the core and costs to a minimum.

Club Chairman Mark Ellison sees this latest move as vindication of that.
"In the current economic climate events and sports are struggling to maintain or afford much needed media exposure, so to actually be approached by MC-Video speaks volumes. We work hard to ensure that our competitors, be they visitors or locals, have the highest quality event on some of the most fabulous roads in the world, and it is especially pleasing to see the high regard that the event is held in by our visitors. If you're out there with a rally car, why aren't you here? Come and join the party!"

Competing crews who run there own in-car camera systems will be encouraged to submit this for possible use within the coverage while all competitors will be offered the opportunity to provide info on themselves through an online form to assist in the production of the programme. Both of these will be in the interest of the competitor in promoting themselves.

Although the exact broadcast date is not know at this time, it is likely to be around three weeks after the event.

Entries are still available. Regulations along with information on travel and accommodation deals are available from

Manx Autosport Club

Regulations / Entry Form / Club Website:

Posted: December 30, 2010 7:32 PM

Manx Autosport Club