Yorkshireman Jonny Milner made a solid start to his second season in the Mitsubishi Ralliart Evolution Challenge this weekend on Rallye Sunseeker. After 60 miles of competition on the south coast near to the rally base in Bournemouth, Jonny took 2nd place in the Evo Challenge, 2nd in Group N and a fine 5th overall in the process.
Together with brand new co-driver Ian Windress for the first time, the double British Rally Champion from Huggate was keen to make amends for a heartbreaking 2006 season which would see him pipped to the Evo Challenge prize by way of a tie break. Undeterred, Milner has returned for 2007 with backing from Merlin International, Team Dynamics, Snap On Diagnostics and Pirelli Tyres. The Team Merlin International outfit, run by MSR Motorsport will contest both the Evo Challenge and the Tesco 99 British Rally Championship this year.
For Jonny, it was quite a culture shock arriving in Bournemouth. Not only did Milner have a new co-driver, he also had to re-adjust to using route notes supplied by the organisers rather than true ‘pace notes’ that he normally would make. Wet conditions greeted the crews on the traditional opening blast around the Bournemouth Winter gardens and promenade, and Jonny found himself happy to be 7th overall after the Friday night leg.
Saturday would see the battle really commence in the Dorset forests. Young Ulsterman Phil Morrow was in top form in his identical Mitsubishi Lancer E9. The youngster was edging away from Milner who was reacquainting himself with the south coast for the first time in well over a decade. If Morrow was flying up front, second placed Milner had to look over his shoulder at former team-mate Julian Reynolds and fellow West Walian Seb Ling. Both were making a fast start to the day and Milner was soon locked into a battle for second with Reynolds.
Milner, Morrow and Reynolds were separated by less than a second on some stages, but the Irishman held the upper hand throughout the day. Rather than risk an excursion by pushing too hard to catch Morrow, Jonny sensibly opted to concentrate on holding off the experienced Reynolds. With the gap as close as 10 seconds at one point, it was Jonny that came out smiling by the end of the event, as he pulled a safe 27 seconds clear of Julian in his John Bean Garage Equipment, Goldline Bearings, NGK Spark Plugs, Sparco, and Ferodo Competition Brake Pads backed machine:
“It was good fun today” said Jonny. “Fair play to Phil Morrow, he drove really hard and must have been taking some big risks at times. Julian and I have battled together many times in the past, so I enjoyed the competition with him. Just like last year, the sharp end of the Evo Challenge is razor sharp! The slightest mistake can cost you a position or two, so you really have to be on your game. Points for second position will do nicely for me as there is a very long way to go in this championship yet. Kielder is up next and it is a place I know very well for both good and bad experiences. We also have the Manx National Rally coming up in May which is an event I am very much looking forward to as well. Overall, I’m very satisfied with the weekend and Ian did an excellent job on the notes as I expected. MSR did a great job looking after the car, so I’m full of confidence heading to the next event now.”
Milner will contest the Border Counties Rally on March 17th, the second round of the Evo Challenge. Using the famous ‘killer’ Kielder Forest, the event will also be an excellent warm up for Jonny’s BRC aspirations. The season opening Pirelli International Rally also uses the Kielder forests for its testing route. Milner will no doubt be keen to let his experience come to the fore on both events.
