Rally crews from on and off-island alike are gearing up for the 2012 Manx Rally Championship that kicks off in three weeks time.
There are several changes for the New Year, but a constant is the support of Eurocars, one of the biggest new and used car dealerships on the island, who will be backing the series for a sixth consecutive season.
“The support Eurocars give to club rallying on the island is invaluable” admits Mark Ellison, Chairman of Manx Auto Sport Limited. ”Year long, they offer their facilities on Peel Road for scrutineering and signing-on for not only events in the series, but also all of the navigational rallies too. Both clubs are extremely grateful to the staff and management.”
The title, won last year by Santon father and daughter team Nigel and Imogen Cannell in their Mitsubishi Evo IX, will be fought out over six rounds between February and November, and with four of those events set to be over two days it’s one of the toughest challenges in British isles club rallying.
It all gets underway on the Mann Construction sponsored Chris Kelly Memorial Rally in mid-February, an event that increasingly brings some of the UK’s top asphalt crews to the island for a season warm-up.
Among the changes for 2012, the Manx National Rally organised by Manx Auto Sport is included as a round of the championship for the first time in almost 20 years.
Druidale Motor Clubs flagship event, the Duke Stages will revert to two full days in September, and there is also an end of season forest event pencilled into the calendar for November.
In between times is the variety of a mid-summer round at Jurby Motordrome and July’s two-day Pokerstars Rally.
One other change surrounds the Teams Championship, which will run to a different format.
Drivers will now be able to enter in the name of a sponsor or other trading entity, offering the opportunity for competitors to give something back to those who give them a helping hand, and further exposure for the backers who help the events garner entries.
“If any competitors are looking for a close fought, competitive challenge taking in some of the best roads in the world to rally on, then they should seriously consider this one”, says Kris Killip, Druidale Motor Club Chairman. “There is plenty of support and help on-island and a fantastic spread of events, we hope enough to keep everyone happy.”
The Eurocars Motorsport Manx Rally Championship is open to all entrants to events, both on and off-island based, and even better, registration is free!
Registration, which closes at documentation for the Pokerstars Stagers in July, can be completed online at www.manxrc.com
2012 Eurocars Motorsport Manx Rally Championship calendar
Round Dates Event Organisers
1 - 17th-18th February Mann Construction Chris Kelly Memorial Rally - Manx Auto Sport
2 - 11th-12th May Manx National Rally - Manx Auto Sport
3 - 16th June Riverside Furniture Jurby Stages - Druidale Motor Club
4 - 20th-21st July Pokerstars Asphalt Stages - Manx Auto Sport
5 - 21-22nd September DUKE Stages (Rally Isle of Man) - Druidale Motor Club
6 - 16th November MAS Forest Stages - Manx Auto Sport
(**) The Eurocars Motorsport Manx Rally Championship is open to all entrants to events, both on and off-island based, and even better - there is no registration fee!
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