Manx National Rally - 11-12 May 12

Posted: July 25, 2012 3:15 PM - 6607 Hits

Round 2 - 2012 MSA Asphalt Rally Championship

Second Best For Bird On Manx National Rally

Posted: July 25, 2012 3:15 PM

Penrith rally driver Paul Bird couldn't manage to make it a hat trick of wins on the Manx National Rally when he had to settle for second place in the latest round of the REIS - Get Connected MSA Asphalt Rally Championship.

Driving the Frank Bird Poultry and Fuchs-Silkolene sponsored Ford Focus WRC, Bird and Scottish co driver Kirsty Riddick held second place overnight on Friday just 20 seconds down on Welshman Melvyn Evans despite gearbox problems.

Bird drove as hard as he could through Saturday's remaining stages but couldn't get the better of Evans and had to settle for runner-up spot to add vital points to the championship challenge.

Paul Bird:
"I could do nothing about Melvyn this weekend. He simply out-drove me and he deserved the victory. I'm pleased with second place and now I'm looking forward to SOL Rally Barbados next month."

Newby Impresses On Manx National Rally

Posted: July 25, 2012 3:14 PM

Despite his inexperience on asphalt, Carnforth rally driver Arron Newby showed his potential with a fantastic 14th place finish overall on his debut on the Manx National Rally.

Driving the Robert Wiseman Dairies and Pirelli sponsored Skoda, the 17 year old drew praise all round on his first proper event on tarmac which saw him claim the class R2 victory by over five minutes.

With the aim of perfecting his pacenote technique, Newby and Kendal co driver Martin Taylor did over 450 miles on the recce and it paid off as after Friday evening's eight stages he was inside the top 20 overall.

The teenager's good run continued on Saturday with only minor brake and overheating problems to report and at the end of the gruelling two-day event he had climbed to a brilliant 14th overall.

Arron Newby:
"To set times inside the top 11 and to finish 14th is a dream come true and just goes to show how good the car is. Martin has helped me enormously in getting more experience on pacenotes and I'm very grateful to him as well as the team. The Pirelli tyres have been brilliant and we only used six for the whole of the event.

"This has been a great shakedown for the Jim Clark Rally next month and I'm really looking forward to it."

Stuart Newby (Team Owner):
"The lad was the star of the Manx in a lot of people's opinion because to do what he did on these tricky Manx lanes was just brilliant. We have won this event a number of times so we knew what a good base setting was but after that it was up to him. He must have driven his balls off to get this result and there's not a scratch on the car, which when you consider it's only his first time here and on this surface, it's simply fantastic."