Yorkshireman Jonny Milner will be a man on a mission on Jedburgh this weekend. The Brick & Steel Border Counties Rally will see the Team Merlin International driver do battle in the English and Scottish borderlands as he tackles the fearsome challenges of the renowned Kielder Forest complex.
Driving his Mitsubishi Lancer E9, the MSR Motorsport run driver from Huggate in North Yorkshire will look to make the most of his vast experience of the challenging terrain. Partnered by fellow Yorkshireman Ian Windress the duo will be contesting the second round of both the MSA National Gravel Rally Championship and the Mitsubishi Evo Challenge on March 24th. Support for the team comes from Merlin International, Team Dynamics Alloy Wheels, Snap On Diagnostics and Pirelli Tyres.
Round one saw the team head south to Bournemouth for the Rallye Sunseeker. Jonny produced a consistent and fast performance to take 2nd position in both the Group N and Evo Challenge points. With nearly 60 miles of challenging Kielder roads ahead of the competitors next weekend, Jonny is aware that another clean and tidy run will be required in order to score another good haul of points.
Opposition will be fierce for the double British Rally Champion. Ulsterman Phil Morrow was the pace setter in Bournemouth as he took a solid victory. Julian Reynolds was also setting excellent stage times in his Mitsubishi Lancer making it an intense three way battle for honours. Milner is confident his experience will hold him in good stead in Jedburgh, and some testing revisions to the John Bean Garage Equipment, Goldline Bearings, NGK Spark Plugs, Sparco, and Ferodo Competition Brake Pads backed machine have also improved the Yorkshireman’s chances of another strong result:
“Once again we’re seeing another fantastically close battle developing in the Evo Challenge” commented Jonny. “Phil Morrow drove a fine rally in Bournemouth, but the challenges of Kielder are incredibly different. Julian Reynolds has plenty of experience of the roads and he will also be a very tough opponent in Kielder. He has the experience and know-how to be able to judge the pace required. For me, it is the usual game plan of setting a good strong pace and always remembering that there is a championship to win. We know that with a good clean run we can be on the pace, so the most important thing is to be clean and tidy and not to make silly mistakes. MSR Motorsport have been working hard to optimise the set up of the car prior to the event so I’m going there ready to put in a good performance. There is still a long way to go in this championship and another good points score will keep us very much in contention for when the crunch time comes later in the season”.
Snow may well play a part in determining the result in the Borders. The 2006 event was hit with heavy snowfalls making the conditions and tyre choices a complete lottery. Milner did not contest the event last year, but being a seasoned campaigner he will certainly be able to put all of his experience to the best usage if the conditions are tricky next weekend.
