The Armajaro MSA British Historic Rally Championship heads to the toughest event on the calendar for round six, the Conister Trust Manx Historic Rally (28-30 July)
With over 150 miles of challenging closed road stages on the Isle of Man, the Manx is a real test and comes at a critical point in the championship contest.Historic (category 1)Steven Smith and John Nichols will go into the rally as favourites in the historic category in their XS Racing Porsche 911. A year ago, they created a sensation by winning the overall historic rally in a Mk1 Ford Escort Pinto, but this year they are campaigning the earlier 911 and head to the island with the overall championship lead after three wins from five events.
Missing the Manx will be Patrick Watts (Sunbeam Tiger) due to a clashing family holiday, but Dessie Nutt/Geraldine McBride (Porsche 911) will rate this as one of their best chances of heading Smith. Nutt knows the Manx lanes extremely well, and is determined to stop Smith having things all his own way.
Making a rallying debut in another of the XS Racing Porsches is former Grand Prix racer Mike Wilds. Teaching former BHRC champion Steve Perez to fly a helicopter has led to Wilds having a chance to sample rallying and he's buzzing about the opportunity. Peter Martin will be on the pace notes.
As ever, class B4 is a battle of the Lotus Cortinas with Chris and Hilary Green facing a tough challenge from Philip Atkinson/Gary Wood and Keith Pettit/Sharon Chilver, while the quickest of the B3 Cortina GTs will be close behind in the hands of Jonathan and Graham Gale.Meanwhile, class B2 is all about the Mini Coopers with Matthew and Dood Pearce looking for another class win in their superb season. Mike Barratt/Michelle Calvert and Phil and Barbara Smith will be chasing the father and son pairing.Post-historic (category 2)The contest for the post-historic category is coming down to a straight fight between David Stokes/Ian Oakey and Jeremy Easson/Den Golding in their Mk1 Escorts. Just four points split them, and each crew has one non-finish in their tally, so it could hardly be closer.Chasing Stokes and Easson will be Graham Samuel/Tony Phillips, Craig Salter/Preston Ayres and Rikki Proffitt/John Skinner in similar cars. Proffitt will be aiming to use the local expertise of Manx resident Skinner to full effect!
Sure to rival Stokes and Easson at the very front of the historic rally will be the Datsun 240Z of Dominic Frattaroli/Wyn Thomas. Recent events have been struck by misfortune, but when the 240Z is running well it is a rally winner. Frattaroli's class rivals include the increasingly quick Porsche 911s of Andrew Street/Jez Mason, Peter Lythell/Gill Cotton and Paul Drinkall/Roy Brown.
A very open class C3 has eight Ford Escorts bidding for class honours and it is Ian Drummond/Tom Ward who currently top the points. Rivals include Chris Gravestock/Mark Harmer and Bob Gibbons/Neil Cook who retired at Brandywell Cottage a year ago minus a rear wheel!
However, few class battles will be as close as that in C2 where the pace of the 1600cc Escorts has been sensational. The main contenders are Ken Forster/John Stanger-Leathes and John Worthing/Bill Robertson, and Forster/Stanger-Leathes are lying a remarkable second overall in the BHRC points after five events. Robin Shuttleworth/Mark Midgley could also be contenders, while the arrival in the class of John Morris/Chris Flavell in a Hillman Avenger will be watched with interest by the Escort crews!
