The Rallee Classicagh categories of this weeks Rally Isle of Man, powered by Microgaming have attracted a high quality entry, with many of the UK’s leading asphalt Historic drivers set to thrill the crowds.
The event is a round of both the Mintex MSA British Historic Rally Championship and the Clonakilty Blackpudding Irish Historic Tarmac Rally Championship, and crews will be interspersed in a single running order across the rally, rather than running a separate block as they have in recent years.
With neither 2012 winner Darren Moon or runaway 2013 victor Ryan Barrett in the field this time, it is a wide open battle, with anyone of half a dozen crews in contention.
As is now the norm in Historic rallying, Ford Escorts dominate, with Towcester driver Rob Smith and co-driver Alun Cook probably the pre-event favourites in their RS100 MkII version. The pair were in flying form on the second day last year after losing time on the opening leg, taking five consecutive stage wins before crashing out on the notorious Cringle section of the .179 stage at Ronague. If they can maintain that kind of pace this year, error free, they’ll be difficult to catch, but it is quite an ask.
Teenager Meirion Evans, son of multiple Manx National Rally winner Melvyn, is the top seeded British Championship registered driver, and there will be many watching the time sheets to see how the Ceredigion driver and Iwan Jones fare on their Manx debut after some impressive performances since switching from modern to historic rallying this year.
Dursely baker David Stokes, who first competed here in the 1960’s, is holding second place in the British standings coming into the event, just a single point behind Dessie Nutt (Porsche 911). The MkI Escort driver and Guy Weaver, multiple former champions, finished second to Barrett last September, setting a string of four fastest times on the Friday night tests, and were third in 2012, and will inevitably be in the shake-up this time too, whilst keeping an eye on Nutt’s pace in an older category car.
Will Onions (Pontesbury) and Dave Williams (Escort RS) have also proven over the last two years that they have the pace to be in contention. They have however crashed on the final day on both occasions so are another for whom the mixture of finishing without hitting trouble is the primary aim.
Like Stokes, Guy Woodcock (Mold) has massive Manx experience, including a third placed finish last year, while Stanley Orr is another not to be discounted on his Manx debut, the Northern Ireland driver sitting just behind Stokes in the Championship table. Island based Declan Jackson is the top Irish Historic seeded driver.
Of the non-Escorts, most of the attention focus’s on the return of legend Jimmy McRae, five time British champion and three time event winner, with Pauline Gullick co-driving in a throaty Vauxhall Firenza can-am. Steven Smith/John Nichols are also welcome returnees, the four time event winners back in a 1967 Porsche which will give Nutt stern opposition in the earliest period category, despite a five year absence.
The leading locals include John Kirkpatrick/Martyn Quine with the potent Lotus Sunbeam, and the Porsche of Adrian Kermode/Maurice Beckett, no doubt all set for their usual antics!
The Rallee Classicagh crews will tackle the entire route, including all 24 closed roads stages across the three days.
