Last year’s Manx National Rally winners and defending Protyre Motorsport UK Asphalt rally champions Callum Black/Jack Morton have been seeded at number one for this weekend’s epic double header Isle of Man event – with the 586 Sport crew eager to re-boot their 2024 campaign in their Pallas Connections Ford Fiesta Rally2.
Round 2 (Friday) and Round 3 (Saturday) has received a star-studded entry, with Protyre Asphalt leader James Williams (co-driven by Ross Whittock) seeded at two in his Orange Amplifiers Hyundai i20 N Rally2.
Twice Protyre Asphalt runner-up Neil Roskell, co-driven by the 2022 champion co-driver Dai Roberts, starts at three in his ND Civils/Lomand Plant Hire/Hauraton Drainage Products/Witham Motorsport Fiesta Rally2, with Mark Kelly/Will Atkins at four in their Kelmore Škoda Fabia R5.
The 2022 Protyre Asphalt drivers’ champion Steve Wood (co-driven by Kenny Hull) at five in his Citroën C3 Rally2 and the 2017 Manx winner Hugh Hunter (co-driven by Rob Fagg) at six in his Robert Hunter & Son Tarmac/Lewis & Hunter Contracting Fiesta Rally2.
Further up north the popular Brick and Steel Border Counties Rally makes a welcome addition to the BTRDA Rally Series.
The event will once again be based in the picturesque Scottish Borders town of Jedburgh and provide some of the best stage rallying in the UK with classic forest tests in the renowned and little-used Tweed Valley and Wauchope Forest complexes.
Elliot Payne leads the way at the top of the standings but we will have stiff competition as last event winners and the current Welsh Rally Champions Matthew Hirst & Declan Dear will be looking to continue their success.
Other seedings to watch for will be Alan Charmichael, Vivian Hamill & Stephen Peach.