Manx National - 6-7 May 05

Posted: May 13, 2005 11:19 AM

Crealey Impresses in the Isle of Man
Brendan Crealey and his co-driver Steve Harris turned-in an impressive performance on this weekend¹s round three of the MSA National Rally Championship, the Roush Manx Rally, bringing their VRS Motorsport prepared Ford Focus WRC home a very respectable fifth overall, a result which keeps their title hopes well and truly on track.

The rally saw a full entry of 130 crews, with all of its 120 competitive miles held over closed public roads on the Isle of Man comprising five timed special stages on Friday evening and a further eleven during Saturday.

However, Crealey, from Portadown and Harris, from Sheffield, nearly didn¹t make it to the start, the VRS engineers discovering a problem with the Focus¹ engine in the week leading up to the rally. With no new engines available, the team loaned a used unit from M-sport (Ford¹s WRC operation), which was fitted the day before the event - thanks to the supreme efforts of the VRS team.

Following so much input in order to get the car ready, Crealey was determined to deliver a good result for the team, his target to get through Friday¹s stages holding a position in the top ten and then turn up the wick on Saturday.

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Late Challenge Cup - Wigmore storms into the lead
Round one of the inaugural ‘Innovation Motorsports Late Challenge Cup’ took place over the weekend with forty-five crews signing up at the Roush Manx National Rally. This newly introduced award has been incorporated into the remaining five rounds of the MSA National Gravel Rally Championship as an incentive for crews who suffered a bad start to the season.

With the results now verified by Dilys and John Trevethick, Jonnie Wigmore and co-driver Robbie Durant have emerged as series leaders after a tough battle in class A6. The young 206 Cup crew are now one step closer to a fully funded Winter trip to the Innovation Motorsports Norwegian testing facility in Gautefall, Southern Norway.

The seven day trip includes ferries, accommodation and four full days testing and tuition on frozen lakes. Jonnie remarked, “It’s great to be involved with the Innovation Motorsports scheme that can award drivers with lower powered cars just as much as the drivers with the latest 4wd machinery. I was not even aware i'd taken maximum points until I arrived back in England but it was a nice surprise! The Manx was very tough as always but we worked very hard in the lead up the event to make sure everything went as smoothly as possible. The great start we had in the fog on friday night took the pressure off a little for the Saturday stages. The Banzai team are already looking forward the Mutiny rally in four weeks to aim for a good points haul once again”.

Innovation Motorsports director Chris Moore said, “Im thrilled to bits to finally get the championship up and running. Jonnie drove a brilliant rally in tricky conditions and fully deserves to be leading the championship. The scoring system we use calculates the points on a class based performance system. The scores are then amalgamated to determine who is the eventual winner. In this case it was an A6 driver that came out on top”.

The next round, the Mutiny National Rally based in Builth Wells takes place on the 4th of June will see another fierce battle for the maximum points. With only four scores counting towards the final total, it is still all to play for…

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Peugeot 206 Super Cup | Wigmore Consolidates
With weather and tyre choice playing its part as ever, Jonnie Wigmore and Robbie Durant emerged Peugeot 206 Super Cup victors by just over a minute after 118 miles of the testing lanes and roads of the Roush Manx Rally this weekend.

With heavy rain, fog and low cloud all affecting the Friday evening stages first blood fell to Cork driver Owen Murphy, setting fastest time on the opening short test in Port Erin. Wigmore had elected to run gravel suspension on the car to cope with the bumps and jumps of the Manx lanes, and on the fourteen miles of stage two over Round Table opened a 18 second lead over second place Mike Faulkner and Peter Foy, who suffered a slow rear puncture through the test. The lead three 206 crews, Wigmore, Faulkner and Sykes were all stopped in stage three by an earlier accident and awarded a notional time by the organisers, some 20 seconds slower than Murphy's time. Meanwhile Richard Sykes and Simon Taylor continued to by hampered by sticking throttle problems which would not be resolved until the overnight halt.

First casualty came on SS3 when Irishman Daniel Barry was slowed by the failure of a driveshaft bearing carrier late in stage 2, and despite an attempt to limp through stage 3, further problems saw the car undriveable and the promising former Irish Ka Champion was forced into retirement with the engine constantly over-revving.

Further down the field the weather continued to deteriorate; Colin Britton and Kenny Hull said simply "We can't see - it's a disaster for us", Colin's progress being further hampered by stalling on stage3. Meanwhile Wigmore set fastest through stage 4, only to be headed on the final test of the night in the north of the Island by Owen Murphy, setting his third fastest time of the day, and moving him ahead of third placed Mike Faulkner. "It's very slippy out there , and it's my first time driving in fog" commented the eighteen year-old from Cork.

Mike Faulkner had felt the car to be very unsettled over the jumps, a problem traced at the overnight halt to a failing rear shock absorber and they were further slowed by a fuel pump problem on stage five with heavy fumes in the car. "The fog was really bad on stage 4, we could barely see and the notes weren't working too well as a result" commented Faulkner as he drove into the overnight halt.

Elsewhere the crews returning to Douglas for the overnight halt we simply happy to be there. Clive Wheeler commented " Nightmare conditions; the worst five stages I have ever driven", whilst William Mavitty/Simon Mills were more concerned with their car " Its just wet and foggy, but we have a gearbox noise and that worries me more". The final comment of the evening which seemed to sum up the feeling came from Declan Magee who looking relieved at having made it back to the TT Grandstand simply commented, "It's like playing darts in the dark out there"

With sunshine and heavy showers forecast for Saturday, tyre choice would be critical. The lead three crews of Wigmore, Murphy and Faulkner all elected the intermediate Kumho tyre for the short opening Baroose test, with Sykes taking the soft moulded slick . "I should have taken a slick for the first stage, and an intermediate for the second, not the other way around", commented Wigmore. Skyes' choice netted him second fastest through Baroose, just a tenth of a second behind Wigmore, who extended his lead through satge 7, Druidale. With Stage 8 cancelled due to an earlier incident that left the 10 mile run back through the Reservoir A stage to bring the crews back to first service. Wigmore added a further 10 seconds to his lead, with Faulkner second fastest from Sykes in third. Murphy dropped some 25 seconds to Wigmore and fell back to within 5 seconds of Faulkner thanks to selecting the soft slick for the stage and suffering an overshoot late in the stage.

Elsewhere in the field Clive Wheeler was bemoaning his choice of the intermediate tyre as he dropped back through the field, Declan Magee, making his debut on the Island was happy just to be able to see where he was going with the departure of the fog, and William Mavitty's times continued to progress as he and new co-driver Simon Mills settled in, "Its going well, but we,ve still got some work to do to get up there" commented the promising Irish driver. Service 1 saw the retirement of Jon Sparks/Brad Magnus, the pairing running out of time to fix a rear stub axle problem.

Mike Faulkner's attack to get back on terms with Wigmore was hampered on the Marine Drive, as the car began to jump out of third gear, with the Gretna driver reporting some big moments along the coast road stage. With Murphy suffering a bent steering arm on the loop of three stages, and Sykes dropping over a minute to the leader on stage 11, Wigmore continued to consolidate his lead. Faulkner came to terms with the gear shift problem, simply holding the car in third, and posted fastest time in SS12 despite running on slicks in the rain, pulling further away from third placed Murphy. Sykes by now had to settle for fourth place, his stage 11 pinball through a series of sweeping bends left him facing the wrong way, with radiator damage and deranged suspension and steering.

With a lead of 1'15 Wigmore now settled into a rhythm, leaving Murphy to take fastest time on all four of the stages in the final loop as he attacked in an attempt to recoup some 30 seconds and second place from Faulkner. With two stages to go the young Cork driver had reduced the deficit to 21 seconds , gaining a further 8 on the penultimate test through Kella and 6.7 seconds on the final test, leaving him just 5.8 seconds adrift of Mike Faulkner and Peter Foy who had suffered an overshoot on stage 15, dropping time to Murphy. "We were lucky to make it through the final stage", reported Faulkner, "We had a couple of big 6th gear moments in there, trying to stay ahead of Owen".

Further down the field a three way battle raged for fifth place, with Mavitty, Magee and Britton locked in the all Irish affair, Britton eventually emerging the winner to take fifth, despite the efforts of a rapidly quickening Magee.

With Co-driver Durant nursing a very sore ankle after a fall, Wigmore commented "It's been a tough rally, Robbie has done a brilliant job on the notes despite been in pain all weekend, we're over the moon with the result, and it puts our championship back on the rails after the Border Counties."

Second placed Mike Faulkner was equally pleased with the weekend, " Great event, really pleased to take second place, Jonnie's lead of a minute after last night was just too much for us to be able to recoup", commented the Gretna driver. Owne Murphy was equally please with third on his debut in the Isle of Man, "It's my first time here, first time in fog, but we've set seven fastest times, and I'm looking forward to coming back in the future".

The Special Tuning (UK) Limited Peugeot 206 Super Cup now moves back to gravel in four week's time, with the Mutiny National Rally based in Llandrindod Wells.

Posn Crew Pen
1 Jonnie Wigmore/Robbie Durant 55:58.1
2 Mike Faulkner/Peter Foy 57:02.5
3 Owen Murphy/Dave Moynihan 57:08.3
4 Richard Sykes/Simon Taylor 00:06.1
5 Colin Britton/Kenny Hull 06:48.7
6 Declan Magee/Mark Ammonds 06:59.2
7 William Mavitty/Simon Mills 07:31.9
8 Trevor Martin/Ray Cleghorn 07:42.7
9 Clive Wheeler/Ken Bartram 10:20.5
DNF Daniel Barry/Graham Henderson Mechanical after SS3
DNF Jon Sparks/Bradley Magnus OTL Service 2

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Champion records his first Evo Challenge victory
This weekend's Roush Manx Rally saw Ryan Champion and his co-driver Craig Thorley record a convincing victory in round three of the 2005 Mitsubishi Ralliart Evolution Challenge. They crossed the line 50 seconds ahead of round two winners Philip and Simon Morrow, who were in turn 69 seconds in front of Neil McCance and Graham Hopewell who finished third. Taking place over the Isle of Man's closed public roads, the event comprised five timed special stages on Friday evening, with a further 11 on Saturday, all of which equated to a competitive distance of 120 miles. A total entry of 130 competitors, which included 13 Evo Challenge crews, lined up to start the first stage, a short blast through Port Erin town centre, before a run up into the surrounding hills.

The Manx weather lived up to its reputation and after being dry all day, an hour before the start the heavens opened, making the road surfaces slippery and unpredictable. Champion, who had swapped his Evo VI for an Evo VIII specially for this event, was half a second faster than Morrow, the pair of them setting the Evo Challenge pace right from the word go.

Ed Stallard was third fastest of the Mitsubishi runners, three seconds behind, heralding an impressive start for the leading Group N Mitsubishi trio who each held places in the top ten overall amongst a host of WRC cars.

As crews embarked on Friday's remaining four stages the weather worsened, teams reporting thick fog as they ventured into the Manx hills and as darkness fell visibility reduced to just a few feet. Many teams were more than relieved to make it to Douglas for the overnight halt, the Evo Challenge leaderboard showing Champion just over a minute ahead of a charging Kevin Stevens, who had snatched second place from Morrow on SS5, both now coming under pressure from the fourth placed McCance.

Needless to say, the atrocious conditions were not without their casualties, the first Evolution Challenge driver to retire being Anthony Willmington who was not happy with his car's handling. Having survived a spin onto a bank on SS2, his Evo lost it's gearbox oil on SS5, giving him little choice but to retire.

Other drivers also having nightmares were Stuart Jones, the round one winner losing his brakes on stage two and then proceeding to bounce off various parts of the island's scenery. Colin Greer began a trail of misfortunes as early as SS1, a heavy landing breaking both rear shock absorbers! Conversely, Manxman Noel Kelly was at an advantage, his local knowledge paying dividends in the fog.

With Saturday dawning dry and bright, Champion aimed to stay out of trouble and consolidate his lead. Steven's on the other hand went on the attack and began to push the envelope of adhesion levels, which culminated a small spin on SS7 followed by a bigger spin on SS8. Although his Evo was undamaged, the car was beached with it's rear wheels in the air, a manoeuvre which brought his rally to an end.

This handed the baton of pursuit to Morrow, who went on to record five fastest Evo Challenge times during the remainder of the day, his performance on SS14 good enough to set 6th fastest time overall. However, it was not enough to catch Champion, who's tactics to establish a lead on Friday and then control things from the front on Saturday were going well and truly to plan.

McCance was in turn in pursuit of his fellow Ulsterman and obviously enjoying himself, his car often appearing at irregular angles to the road. An impressive performance saw McCance finish third, his best ever Evo Challenge result.

The continually improving conditions witnessed speeds increase throughout the field, but not so for series leader Nik Elsmore. Poised for a respectable points haul in fourth place his car's engine started to lose power and he had to crawl through the last two stages, dropping to sixth place in the process behind Jones and Stallard.

Also plagued with engine maladies was the luckless Greer. Although his team had repaired his Evo's rear suspension on Friday night, their efforts were dashed on SS11 when the engine expired.

Connor McCloskey was another retirement on Saturday, clipping one of the infamous kerbs in Marine Drive on SS10 seeing his Isle of Man debut come to an early conclusion.

Jones on the other hand was blessed with good fortune. Having spun into a ditch on SS8 he thought the time lost to extract the car was going to prove terminal, but with the stage stopped due to Steven's mishap, he and a number of other crews were credited with a notional time. The upshot of this saw him claim fourth place at the finish, even though his Evolution looked decidedly worse for wear.

But it was Champion's day and he crossed the line back in Douglas on Saturday afternoon to take his first ever Evolution Challenge victory and finish in ninth place overall, a result which puts his Mitsubishi title hopes well and truly on track.

"It's all gone according to plan," said a delighted Champion. "After pulling out a minute's lead on Friday evening we made things easier for ourselves on Saturday, but I have to admit it was a bit nerve racking towards the end, making sure I kept out of trouble and at the same time not loosing too much time. I am also delighted with the car. Although it had only covered 50 miles when I started the rally it ran perfectly throughout and justified our decision to swap for this event."

The Evo Challenge returns to gravel roads for round four, the Llandridnod Wells based Mutiny Rally, which takes place on 4th June and features stages in the mid-Wales forests.

The 2005 Mitsubishi Ralliart Evolution Challenge is supported by: Mitsubishi Motors UK, Ralliart, Walon UK, Pirelli Tyres, Shell Racing Fuels, Speedline Corse, PIAA UK and Mintex.

1st Ryan Champion (Whitby)/Craig Thorley (York) 1:46:53.4
2nd Philip Morrow (Lisburn)/Simon Morrow (Lisburn) 1:47:43.6
3rd Neil McCance (Newtownards)/Graham Hopewell (Worcester) 1:48:51.2
4th Stuart Jones (Welshpool)/Ross Butler (Welshpool) 1:52:22.4
5th Ed Stallard (Cheltenham)/Richard Edwards (Wolverhampton) 1:52:37.5
6th Nik Elsmore (Coleford)/Nigel Gardner (New Tredegar) 1:53:45.6
7th Noel Kelly (Crosby)/James Kelly (Crosby) 1:55:42.4
8th Tim Pearcey (Harrogate)/Mick Johnson (Thirsk) 1:58:05.2
9th Paul James (Taunton)/Derek Davies (Swansea) 1:59:57.3


Pirelli Cup Winner - Ryan Champion
PIAA Junior Award - Philip Morrow
Shell Spirit Award - Connor McClosky
Walon Best Prepared Car - Ryan Champion
Nojack/Michael Car Centre Team Award - DGM

Retirements
SS5 Anthony Willmington (Dorchester)/Andy White (Weymouth) - Transmission
SS8 Kevin Stevens (London)/Mark Jones (Birmingham) - Stuck
SS10 Connor McCloskey (Kilrea)/Damien Duffin (Rasharkin) - Driveshaft
SS11 Colin Greer (Beith)/Neil Ewing (Largs) - Engine

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Gritty Drive Rewards Jones & Butler With Valuable Championship Points
After a difficult two days of competition, which saw the crew suffer problem after problem, Stuart Jones and Ross Butler produced a determined drive to fight back from thirteenth to fourth in the Mitsubishi Ralliart Evolution Challenge class. This result means they leave the Isle of Man fourth in the championship, only four points behind the leader, Nik Elsmore.

The event began with a stage through the southern town of Port Erin, amid typical Isle of Man weather – heavy rain. However, it was the second stage which saw Stuart and Ross’ troubles begin. Approximately one mile into the stage, an impact damaged a brake union and they lost all brake fluid. “I couldn’t believe it – we had to do the whole stage with no brakes, just using the gearbox and handbrake to slow the car,” said Jones. However, the service crew found and repaired the problem immediately following the end of the test but the lost time dropped them to thirteenth in the Evo Challenge class.

The remaining stages on Friday evening passed uneventfully, although Stuart found it difficult to regain the confidence he needed in the car after the brake failure. He was also finding it difficult to establish a rhythm with the suspension set-up on the car. “We plan to change some of the settings tonight, so hopefully this will make the car more driveable, particularly over the bumps,” he said at the end of the first leg.

The morning of the second day saw overnight rain rapidly drying to reveal fast and abrasive tarmac roads and a car more to Stuart’s liking. Stuart and Ross immediately set about catching their competition by setting the fastest class time on the day’s first stage. However, a wrong tyre choice led to two spins on the following stage and the advantage was lost, while a cancelled stage meant that again, their rhythm was to elude them. Following further service, the crew attacked the seafront stage in Douglas with typical commitment but ran wide and broke a wheel on a kerb. “The broken wheel was a bit of a problem, because I couldn’t commit properly to the corners,” Stuart explained.

Then, on stage 12, they were forced to stop behind a stranded car which was blocking the stage and push it clear before continuing. Again, the rhythm they were working so hard to find was destroyed. However, the final loop of four stages was problem-free for Stuart and Ross, although the same couldn’t be said for their competitors, with several falling by the wayside during the second leg. They set the fastest class time on two of the four tests and duly arrived at the finish in Douglas in fourth place.

“I have to say that I’m very pleased with this result, especially after the way the rally has gone and all the problems we’ve had,” said Jones. “Because of this, it was very difficult to get a good rhythm and feeling in the car. The last loop of stages was the only one where we didn’t have a problem and I’m very pleased that we managed to set two fastest times and match Ryan and Phillip on the other two to within a few seconds. It’s encouraging to know that we’re competitive on tarmac when everything comes together and we make the right choice of Silverstone tyres, which we did on the last loop, and which worked very well.

“All in all, this has been a real character-building event for us and shows that you should never, ever give up. After we lost so much time on the first leg with the lack of brakes, I didn’t think we’d be able to take eight points away from this event but with the team working so hard, I had to keep pushing to get the best result possible. The next round takes us back into the Welsh forests, where I’m far more at home, so we’ll be targeting at least a podium result there to close the championship gap.”

Commenting on the weekend’s action, co-driver Ross Butler said; “I’m very impressed with Stuart’s determination and maturity this weekend, in maintaining his motivation to get to the finish. Not only have we earned valuable championship points but we’ve also learned a huge amount about how to deal with this type of situation. We need events like this to appreciate those rallies where we end up spraying the champagne. The team did a great job, not only keeping the car running throughout the rally but also keeping us in a positive frame of mind and it’s a credit to everyone that we got this result.”

The Mitsubishi Ralliart Evolution Challenge takes the crews back to the gravel forest tracks, this time around Builth Wells and takes place on the weekend of 3rd & 4th of June.

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HIGGINS MARKS HIS CARD!…
Mark Higgins and Andy Richardson have won the Roush Manx Rally after a dominant display in their Eddie Stobart-sponsored Ford Focus WRC. After 120 miles of closed road special stages on the Isle of Man spread over two legs on Friday evening and Saturday, they arrived at the finish at the TT Grandstand almost four minutes ahead of the Subaru Impreza WRC of runners-up Roger Duckworth/Mark Broomfield. After a fantastic battle, the final podium place went to the second Stobart Ford Focus WRC of Paul Bird which puts the Cumbrian driver into the lead of the MSA National Gravel Championship, of which the Manx was the third qualifying round.

After a troubled day, Barry Johnson (Subaru Impreza) eventually finished fourth, just ten seconds behind Bird but comfortably ahead of Brendan Crealey in another Focus.

Tony Davies’ 6th place was enough to give the Impreza driver maximum points in the GPR MSA National Asphalt Rally Championship, another series which is included in the Roush-sponsored event. Steve Fleck (Impreza WRC) was next up but it is third-placed John Price (MG Metro 6R4) who moves into the lead of the Championship after the first two rounds. Erstwhile leader David Appleby (Impreza WRC) and former champion Steve Hendy (Ford Escort WRC) were not so fortunate, both being forced out after contact with the unforgiving Manx scenery!

The third round of the Mitsubishi Evolution Challenge produced yet another winner in Whitby driver Ryan Champion who had an excellent run in his brand-new Lancer EVO8, showing his rivals a clean pair of heels to finish 7th overall and two minutes in front of Irishman Phillip Morrow.

Local interest was maintained by Rob Watson/Norman Quayle who finished just outside the Top Ten in their Vauxhall Nova Kit Car, with George Collister/ Rob Fagg (Ford Escort RS) four places behind and Nigel & Michaela Cannell (Vauxhall Corsa) five. Steve Quine/Richard Skinner (Vauxhall Astra Sport) had a disappointing rally, having retired for the second year running when an engine mounting broke on Saturday morning.

Jonnie Wigmore continued his winning ways in the Peugeot 206 Super Cup as he led home the dozen starters, while Mike Faulkner and Owen Murphy were second and third, less than 0.6s apart by the finish.

The Roush Manx Rally has been won by Kenny McKinstry three times in recent years, including 2004. However, the No.1 seed’s run of success was not to continue this time and, after finding it difficult to settle into his first event for eight months, he went out when his Impreza’s engine cried ‘enough’! Neither former National Rally Champions Mark Perrott (Ford Escort WRC) and Marcus Dodd (Hyundai Accent WRC) were classified as finishers with various transmission problems blighting their progress.

The first leg of the Roush Manx Rally proved to be a severe test as persistent rain made the going very slippery, combined with thick mist which descended on to the higher parts of the stages in the encroaching darkness. By contrast, Saturday dawned dry and sunny and even the addition of a few sharp showers failed to dampen the spirits of the competitors as one of the most popular events in the UK’s rallying calendar unfolded.

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ANCRO Championship - MANX MAGIC FOR DUCKWORTH
Former ANCRO National Rally Champion Roger Duckworth overcame the treacherously difficult conditions on the Isle of Man to clinch maximum points on round three of the MSA National Gravel Rally Championship at the conclusion of the Roush Manx Rally today.

Driving the Autosportif Subaru WRC the Towcester driver along with co driver Mark Broomfield increased the pace as the day progressed but had to give second best to rally winners Mark Higgins and Andy Richardson who took victory by a record 3mins 45secs. However Duckworth was celebrating because he headed home the registered ANCRO competitors in second place overall.

'Once I started to get used to the car the times began to improve and I had to use all of my experience as best I could. It was difficult with the weather right up to the end but after two disappointing results this is what we needed' said the 2003 Champion.

Stobart Motorsport's Paul Bird and co driver Ian Windress claimed third place overall for a second successive year and as a result they took over at the head of the championship following a superb drive in the Ford Focus WRC.
'That's the second year I have been on the rostrum and its good to be leading the championship outright now. I drove my balls off this afternoon and it paid off but it would have been nice to have had a Stobart one-two' said the Cumbrian referring to his team mate Higgins.

Fourth overall and third championship points scorer was Barry Johnson and co driver Stewart Merry who endured a high speed spin and a late drama when they nearly went OTL after a gearbox oil pump needed changing at final service. The Co Durham man now trails championship leader Bird by three points going into the next round in Wales in a month's time.
'This is the first time I have done the event and I am pleased with the result especially after the problems we endured today and I am looking forward to getting back into the forests' said the former Scottish champion.

Brendan Crealey and Steve Harris took fourth place points in their Ford Focus WRC to move up to third in the series with defending champion Steve Perez and co driver Neil Dashfield overcoming a slow start to claim sixth place points in their VK backed Ford Focus WRC.

Yorkshireman Ryan Champion secured victory in the Mitsubishi Ralliart Evolution Challenge with a win over Phillip Morrow and both drivers now share second place in the series behind leader Nik Elsmore who increased his lead in the ANCRO Production Cup also.

Joint leader going into the rally, Marcus Dodd along with co driver Andrew Bargery, retired with engine problems on the final loop in their Hyundai Accent WRC whilst runner up in the event last year Mark Perrott and his co driver Patrick Walsh also went out with clutch problems earlier today.

Clerk of the Course John Skinner said 'Its been a difficult event for everyone but once it was up and running everything seemed to run fairly smoothly and if the competitors are happy then so am I. I'd like to take this opportunity to thank everybody who has helped us raise money for the Liver Foundation Trust also.'

The next round takes place with the Mutiny National Rally based at the Royal Welsh Agricultural Showground at Builth Wells on Saturday 4th June.

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MANX RALLY CLERK OF THE COURSE HONOURED
As a prelude to the Awards Presentation for the Roush Manx Rally, held at the Villa Marina in Douglas on Saturday evening, Event Clerk of the Course John Skinner was honoured by David Cretney MHK, the Minister for Tourism, with the presentation of a replica ‘Manx Sword of State’.

In his eulogy prior to the presentation, Mr Cretney outlined John’s services to Manx motorsport which date back to 1955 when he joined the St John’s Ambulance Brigade as a cadet. The Roush Manx Rally, as it is now known, first ran in 1980 and John was a member of the organising team on that occasion, taking over the reins to become Clerk of the Course in 1985. Since then, the rally has progressed to its present position as one of the most popular events in the UK calendar.

On receiving the award, of which he had no prior knowledge, John was swift to praise the other members of the rally’s organising team. “I am very honoured to accept this award and would like to pay tribute to everyone else involved in the organisation of the Manx Rally, without whom it would not be possible to stage such an event,” he said.

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Provisional Results
1 Mark Higgins/Andy Richardson (Ford Focus WRC) 1:38:46.2
2 Roger Duckworth/Mark Broomfield (Subaru Impreza WRC) 1:42:42.8
3 Paul Bird/Ian Windress (Ford Focus WRC) 1:43:14.7
4 Barry Johnson/Stewart Merry (Subaru Impreza WRC) 1:43:24.5
5 Brendan Crealey/Steve Harris (Ford Focus WRC) 1:45:10.9
6 Tony Davies/Jakes Kelly (Subaru Impreza WRC) 1:45:37.2
7 Steve Perez/Neil Dashfield (Ford Focus WRC) 1:46:25.7
8 Steve Fleck/Mark Aspinwall (Subaru Impreza WRC) 1:46:31.2
9 Ryan Champion/Craig Thorley (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 8) 1:46:53.4
10 Phillip Morrow/Simon Morrow (Mitsubishi Lancer EVO 6) 1:47:43.6

Results ANCRO MSA National Rally Championship
Rallynews (by Brian & Liz Patterson)

www.manxrally.org

Photos
Roy Dempster Photos
cmwi.net

• 2005 ANCRO MSA National Rally Championship
• 2005 Mitsubishi Ralliart Evolution Challenge
• 2005 206 Super Cup

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Over night News: HIGGINS LEADS, PERROTT STARS
Dense fog and heavy rain greeted competitors tonight as round three of the MSA National Gravel Rally Championship got underway with the Roush Manx Rally as Mark Higgins and co driver Andy Richardson grabbed a commanding lead at the overnight halt.

The Stobart Ford Focus WRC pairing are nearly a minute and a half ahead of top ANCRO registered competitors Mark Perrott and Patrick Walsh who overcame a puncture and a sticking throttle to end up in second place in their ageing Ford Escort WRC with the Subaru of Barry Johnson and Stewart Merry also enduring problems in the shape of a puncture and a broken clutch to end the leg in third place.

The Stobart Ford Focus WRC of Paul Bird and Ian Windress is fourth overnight despite suffering from a lack of spotlights on the final stage with former ANCRO champion Roger Duckworth and co driver Mark Broomfield in fifth whilst triple winner Kenny McKinstry and Noel Orr lie sixth in their respective Subarus.

Ryan Champion and Craig Thorley head the Mitsubishi Lancer Evo Challenge in their borrowed Evo 8 version and held an impressive seventh overall ahead of the Ford Focus WRC of Brendan Crealey and Steve Harris.

Drivers in trouble this evening include defending champion Steve Perez who along with co driver Neil Dashfield spun and lost over a minute on SS1 whilst Marcus Dodd and Andrew Bargery are reporting serious electrical problems in their Hyundai Accent WRC.

Competitors are looking forward to tomorrow’s action which gets underway at 8.30am with the promise of better weather around the Island with 11 further stages around the Manx lanes before the surviving crews are scheduled back at the TT Grandstand around 15.15.

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PRE EVENT NEWS

• Mitsubishi crews face first asphalt encounter
• MAN-TASTIC SCRAP IN PROSPECT…… - ANCRO Preview
• Peugeot 206 Super Cup Preview
• Event Preview - MANX KEEP US GUESSING!…
• Entry List Available - Includes McGarrity in an S10
• Entries received to date include last year's winner Kenny McKinstry and local ace Mark Higgins
• Regulations available

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03/05/05
Mitsubishi crews face first asphalt encounter



If it was difficult to predict a winner for rounds one and two of the 2005 Mitsubishi Ralliart Evolution Challenge, then round three is going to be even tougher, next weekend's Roush Manx Rally seeing teams compete on asphalt for the first time this year.

With the series' first two rounds utilising gravel forestry roads, a pattern of who's quickest has started to emerge, but now, with the surface changing, there is no one driver amongst the Evo Challenge ranks who admits to be a tarmac rally specialist.

There is little doubt there is going to be fierce competition between the two highest seeds, the winner of round one, Stuart Jones and the winner of round two, Philip Morrow. However, with both of these talented junior drivers non-scoring on the events they failed to win, the pressure will be on to gain an advantage, both in points and psychologically.

Current series leader, Nik Elsmore, has visited the Isle of Man on a number of occasions and will be looking to continue his consistent run of podium finishes, having finished third in both previous rounds.

Anthony Willimington is destined to feature well. Having been third Evo Challenge runner on the Island in 2004 he is the highest finishing returnee and after swapping to an Evo VII for this season, he could well be in contention to take his first victory since 2003.

Another driver to watch will be Colin Greer, his performance in round two, the Border Counties Rally, was nothing short of impressive and if it wasn't for a fuel problem on the final stage, he may well have scooped his first series win.

Ryan Champion should also come to the fore on the Manx roads. A fine second place on round two, just one tenth of a second behind Morrow, endorsed his abilities and being no stranger to the island has more than a chance of gunning for victory.

The Isle of Man could well be a showcase for the series' junior drivers, both Ed Stallard and Connor McCloskey getting quicker as the year goes on, their stage times in recent events branding them as potential winners.

However, yet to show his true colours is Kevin Stevens. Out of all of the Evo Challenge runners he admits to being more than comfortable on asphalt and certainly has the pace to see him claim a trophy position.

Of the 13 Evolution Challenge crews competing in this event, the driver most familiar with the Manx roads will be Noel Kelly, who lives in Crosby, right in the middle of the island.

The Roush Manx Rally gets underway in Port Erin on Friday evening, with five timed special stages. It then restarts from the TT Grandstand on Saturday morning with a further 11 stages during the day, all of which provides competitors with a total of 120 competitive miles before the finish back in Douglas that afternoon.

The 2005 Mitsubishi Ralliart Evolution Challenge is supported by: Mitsubishi Motors UK, Ralliart, Walon UK, Pirelli Tyres, Shell Racing Fuels, Speedline Corse, PIAA and Mintex.

List of Roush Manx Rally entered Evolution Challenge competitors in start number order (home towns in brackets)

23 Stuart Jones (Welshpool)/Ross Butler (Welshpool) 
24 Phillip Morrow (Lisburn)/Simon Morrow (Lisburn) 
25 Ryan Champion (Whitby)/Craig Thorley (York) 
27 Nik Elsmore (Coleford)/Nigel Gardner (New Tredegar) 
31 Colin Greer (Beith)/Neil Ewing (Largs) 
32 Anthony Willmington (Dorchester)/Andy White (Weymouth) 
35 Neil McCance (Newtownards)/Graham Hopewell (Worcester) 
45 Ed Stallard (Cheltenham)/Richard Edwards (Wolverhampton) 
46 Kevin Stevens (London)/Mark Jones (Billericay) 
58 Tim Pearcey (Harrogate)/Mick Johnson (Thirsk) 
70 Paul James (Taunton)/Derek Davies (Swansea) 
71 Noel Kelly (Crosby)/James Kelly (Crosby) 
72 Connor McCloskey (Kilrea)/Damien Duffin (Rasharkin)

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MAN-TASTIC SCRAP IN PROSPECT……
After a seven week break, the 2005 MSA National Gravel Rally Championship resumes with round three in the shape of the ever-popular Roush Manx Rally next weekend (6/7th May) and with the championship finely poised, the scene is set for a battle royal.

The only all-tarmac event of the series has attracted a near capacity entry and with just one point separating the top three drivers in the overall championship, it could hardly be closer.

Hyundai Accent WRC driver Marcus Dodd shares the lead with the Ford Focus WRC of Paul Bird whilst victory last time out on the Brick and Steel Border Counties Rally went the way of Barry Johnson (Subaru WRC) and he is just a point behind the two drivers in front.

Dodd, the former double champion from Poole in Dorset, is hoping for safe points scoring run around the Manx lanes prior to the series visiting his beloved Welsh forests in round four where he plans an all out attack and leader of the Scottish Rally Championship Johnson, from Shildon in County Durham, is also not a big fan of the tarmac.

But Bird, from Penrith in Cumbria, who also owns the Stobart Honda British Superbike Team, has bitter sweet memories of the Isle of Man since making his debut in 2002 and is the man to watch. Last year he finished in third place on the ANCRO event following mechanical failure the two previous years but he knows he’s in for a dogfight over the tortuous 120 mile route.

Leominster’s Mark Perrott just missed out on victory twelve months ago and the Herefordshire driver will be looking to make amends for that and also for retiring on the previous round in his venerable Ford Escort WRC whilst defending champion Steve Perez (Clay Cross) hasn’t enjoyed the best of starts to the season and he’ll be looking for better things in his VK Ford Focus WRC.

The series regulars will, however, face a stiff challenge from a number of non-registered drivers who have entered the Manx Auto Sport Ltd event including three times winner Kenny McKinstry in a Subaru WRC. The Banbridge man will be chased hard by former British Champion Mark Higgins (Ford Focus WRC) as well as Derek McGarrity (Subaru WRC) and Maurice Gass (Skoda Fabia WRC).

Fourth placed Andy Burton hasn’t entered the event in his radical Dunlop shod Peugeot Cosworth but other ANCRO drivers to keep an eye on include former champion Roger Duckworth (Subaru WRC), Brendan Crealey (Ford Focus WRC) and Steve Petch (Hyundai Accent).

The battle is hotting up in the support classes too with Nik Elsmore (Coleford) leading the Mitsubishi Ralliart Evo Challenge and Production Cup with Jonnie Wigmore (Bicester) currently heading the Peugeot 206 Super Cup standings. Hove’s Andrew Bargery leads the overall Co Drivers series by a single point ahead of Ian Windress from Northallerton with fellow Yorkshireman Stephen Petch in command in the Junior Driver’s class.

In the hotly contested Manufacturer's class, Hyundai share the lead with M-Sport Ford with Mitsubishi heading Prodrive Subaru in Group N.

The event gets underway on Friday evening (6th May) at 19.00 with a 1.5 mile spectator stage around the streets of Port Erin before competitors tackle a further 33 miles of stages as dusk falls. The first cars are due back at the Grandstand at around 21.10 before the surviving competitors restart at 08.30 on Saturday morning. There they will take in a further eleven stages totalling 81 miles before the champagne finish celebrations at around 15.20.

• 2005 ANCRO MSA National Rally Championship
• 2005 Mitsubishi Ralliart Evolution Challenge
• 2005 206 Super Cup

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Peugeot 206 Super Cup Preview
With a seat in a Peugeot 206 Super 1600 car on next year's British Rally Championship at stake for the 2005 Super Cup winner, the pace at the head of the field looks set to be fast and furious as the 2005 Peugeot 206 Super Cup moves on to tarmac for the first time this season as twelve crews make the trip to the Roush Manx Rally.

Oxfordshire's Jonnie Wigmore, partnered by Robbie Durant, travels to the Roush Manx Rally with a seven point advantage after victory on the Rallye Sunseeker and fight back fourth place on the Border Counties Rally. The Banzai backed driver will lead the field of Peugeot 206 Super Cup competitors away from the start in Port Erin on Friday evening, with one eye firmly the challenge from his fellow competitors. The former Ka champion and S1600 BRC driver will need all his experience of the challenging Manx roads as he makes his asphalt debut in the Group A Peugeot 206.

Will the competition come from series regulars Mike Faulkner, Richard Sykes or Paul Jones, or will it come from the young Irish chargers making their Manx debut? Both Sykes and Jones suffered from the same early set back on round two as Wigmore, while Faulkner avoided the Kielder rock to secure victory on round two, taking maximum points and making up for the disappointment on round one when a driveshaft failure saw the Gretna man's uncharacteristic retirement.

With ground to make up on Wigmore, Mike Faulkner and Peter Foy will be determined to build on their success in Kielder on the Border Counties. With the two crews consistently swopping fastest times the stage could be set for the battle to begin again on the Manx asphalt.

Third in the points table Richard Sykes makes a welcome return to Super Cup in 2005 after a years' absence, with new co-driver Simon Taylor, "I'm happy with the start to the season" said Sykes at the finish of round two, "I've got away with this morning's problems and put more points on the board". If Richard was happy, second placed man on the Border Counties, Trevor Martin, with Ray Cleghorn on the notes was over the moon, "That's my highest ever cup finish" said Trevor as he contemplated sitting second in the Cup championship table.

With some 5 testing stages running on Friday evening in darkness, and 11 stages on Saturday, the combination of fast open road and narrow testing lanes in the Isle of Man gives a great blend to challenge the fastest of drivers.

Making their Manx debuts comes a group of young Irish drivers, Daniel Barry, Owen Murphy, Declan Magee and William Mavitty. Barry and Murphy challenged hard in the early stages of the Border Counties Rally, and both have the speed, how will they adapt to the testing Manx roads? Can they carry the speed to challenge the leaders? The answers will come this weekend.

Peugeot 206 1400 Challenge winner from 2004 Declan Magee will want to improve on his round two result, having parked the car off the road on the penultimate stage, and William Mavitty took his Peugeot 206 to the gruelling Circuit of Ireland Rally over the Easter break to get some asphalt experience of the Group A Peugeot 206, and with Scots co-driver Kirsty Riddick finished 28th overall on the tough three day event.

Still to put a score on the table this year after a run of bad luck, Clive Wheeler and Ken Bartram will bring the immaculate red Skip Brown Car to the Island, and Jonathan Sparks brings his new co-driver South African native Brad Magnus to the Manx for the first time, the pair set on building speed and getting the most out of the 206.

With Special Tuning (UK) Limited now continuing the traditions set by Peugeot Sport, the Super Cup has a firm future and continues to be supported by Kumho Tyres, Mintex, Champion, Hella, Sparco, Motor Sport Travel & Snap-On.

The diminutive 1600cc Group A front wheel drive cars will once again challenge hard to be the first two-wheel drive cars home, and with so much at stake, expect them to be trying hard, on the limit !

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27/05/04
Event Preview - MANX KEEP US GUESSING!…
The entry list for the Roush Manx Rally (6/7th May) is of such a high quality that it is, quite literally, anyone’s guess as to the identity of the eventual winners! Obviously, one of the favourites has to be the Subaru Impreza WRC of KENNY McKINSTRY & NOEL ORR who have won the rally three times already and are back to defend their 2004 victory.

However, it is fair to say that any one of the top twenty starters is of a proven ability at this level of competition and spectators on the Isle of Man over the weekend are assured of a fascinating time as the battle for supremacy unfolds.

Starting behind McKinstry/Orr from Port Erin at 7.00pm on the Friday evening will be former British Champion – and Manx resident! – MARK HIGGINS (Ford Focus WRC) and Irish Tarmac Champion DEREK McGARRITY (Subaru Impreza WRC).

Current MSA National Gravel Championship leader PAUL BIRD (Ford Focus WRC) is at No.5 and finds himself in amongst four former winners of the title – MARK PERROTT (Ford Escort WRC), MARCUS DODD (Hyundai Accent WRC), STEVE PEREZ (Ford Focus WRC) & ROGER DUCKWORTH (Subaru Impreza WRC).

The Roush Manx Rally is also in the GPR MSA National Asphalt Rally Championship calendar and, having been forced to miss the first round, TONY DAVIES (Subaru Impreza WRC) sets out on his quest for the title. Right behind him is the similar car of STEVE FLECK, while former Asphalt Champions STEVE HENDY (Ford Escort WRC) & JOHN PRICE (MG Metro 6R4) are also in close attendance. In the face of such strong opposition, current Championship leader DAVE APPLEBY (Subaru Impreza WRC) will be looking to press home his advantage, but knows he will have his work cut out!…

The Mitsubishi Evolution Challenge returns to the Isle of Man once again and, after two rounds, the front-runners in the race to secure a works-supported drive in the 2006 British Rally Championship are Englishmen NIK ELSMORE and ANTHONY WILLMINGTON. The Welsh and Irish are also well represented, with STUART JONES and PHILIP MORROW within striking distance of the leaders!

The Peugeot 206 Super Cup is responsible for a dozen of the 125 entries, with JONNIE WIGMORE and TREVOR MARTIN relishing the opportunity to move further ahead in the points table.

The Friday-night leg of the Roush Manx Rally starts from Port Erin and takes in five special stages, prior to an overnight halt. On Saturday, the rally is based at the TT Grandstand, Douglas, from where the first car leaves at 8.30am for the first of eleven more stages. The podium finish and traditional champagne-spraying are back there at 3.30pm that afternoon.

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26/04/05

Top 20
1 Kenny McKinstry/Noel Orr (Subaru Impreza WRC)
2 Mark Higgins/Andy Richardson (Ford Focus WRC)
3 Derek McGarrity/Dermot O'Gorman (Subaru Impreza WRC)
4 Mark Perrott/Patrick Walsh (Ford Escort WRC)
5 Paul Bird/Ian Windress (Ford Focus WRC)
6 Marcus Dodd/Andrew Bargery (Hyundai Accent WRC)
7 Steve Perez/Neil Dashfield (Ford Focus WRC)
8 Roger Duckworth/Mark Broomfield (Subaru Impreza WRC)
9 Tony Davies/Jakes Kelly (Subaru Impreza WRC)
10 Steve Fleck/Mark Aspinall (Subaru Impreza WRC)
11 Barry Johnson/Stewart Merry (Subaru Impreza WRC)
12 Steve Hendy/Aled Davies (Ford Escort WRC)
14 John Price/Caroline Price (MG Metro 6R4)
15 Brendan Crealey/Steve Harris (Ford Focus WRC)
16 Steve Petch/Alun Cook (Hyundai Accent WRC)
17 David Appleby/Mark Milton (Subaru Impreza WRC)
18 Kevin Barrett/Barry Goodman (Subaru Impreza WRC)
19 David Kynaston/Andy Russell (Audi A3 Quattro)
20 Steven Simpson/Mark Booth (Hyundai Accent WRC)
21 Maurice Gass/Andrew Cullen (Skoda Fabia WRC)

Full Entry list on rally website:

www.manxrally.org

• 2005 ANCRO MSA National Rally Championship
• 2005 Mitsubishi Ralliart Evolution Challenge
• 2005 206 Super Cup

120 stage miles on some of Europe's fastest tarmac stages
5 stages on Friday evening followed with a further 11 on Saturday

Regulations and further information on the event website: www.manxrally.org

• 2005 ANCRO MSA National Rally Championship
• 2005 Mitsubishi Ralliart Evolution Challenge
• 2005 206 Super Cup