The Fuchs Lubricants British Historic Rally Championship makes its first visit to the Isle of Man since 2017 this weekend, as the Manx Rally [10/11 May] plays host to the fourth round of the 2024 season.
The iconic closed roads on the island have a rich tapestry of motorsport history and offer one of the toughest sealed surface challenges in the British rallying calendar.
The two-day rally packs in over 127 miles of competitive driving split over three legs, with a dynamic mix of day and night stages, tight twisty lanes, and wide open super-fast sections.
Heading the standings is Adrian Hetherington in his Ford Escort MKII after a consistent season so far has seen him gather a positive haul of points at each event. Second place at the opening round has been a highlight, but a win has alluded him so far in 2024. Ronan O’Neil returns on the notes and another good score will see him extend his nine-point lead.
With the chasing Nick Elliot/Dave Price sadly not making the trip due to work commitments in the FIAT 131 Abarth, it leaves an opportunity for Richard Hill/Patrick Cooper to close in on the top spot in their Escort. Another Ford crew to enjoy a consistent season, they have been plugging away in their return to the BHRC and are now Hetherington’s nearest challengers.
But with the super-fast Manx lanes favouring more powerful machinery, it could well throw up some surprises. And last time out at the Rallynuts Severn Valley Stages in Wales, it was Seb Perez who stormed to the win in his Porsche 911, giving a Category Two [cars registered between 1968 and 1975] machine its first overall BHRC win since 2019.
Perez and co-driver Gary McElhinney battled all day with former British Rally Champion Mark Higgins in his Triumph TR7 V8 but came out on top in a stellar performance.
The challenge of the rally sees the return of several former BHRC contenders, including Richard Jordan/Sam Collis in a MKII and Gareth James/Steffan Evans, Melvyn Evans/Sion Williams, Will Onion/Davie Williams in similar machinery. David Kynaston/Val Thompson take the Triumph total on the event to two in their TR7.
Aside from Perez, it’s Amigos teammates Ben Smith/Steven Smith who uphold Category Two honours in their Escort MK1, but they will face the advances of Phillip Harris/Derek Davies in their example.
