Rallying on the Isle of Man is on the agenda this weekend as Julian Reynolds gears up for an assault on the RBS International Manx Rally in the Hankook Subaru.

Rallying gets underway in the third round of the national gravel championship on Friday May 9 before a full day of action on the closed roads of the Isle of Man on Saturday.

Seeded at number nine for the event, Julian and co-driver Patrick Walsh will be pitting their skills against more than 120 other competitors in this tough and demanding event.

And they arrive on the island after success on the recent Border Counties Rally where they were third registered contender – and hope to capitalise on this at the weekend.

“We are really looking forward to being back on the island, especially after not finishing the event last year when we were sidelined with gearbox problems,’’ said Julian.

“This year we are really confident of a good result, the Subaru is great and we have been testing the Hankooks in all weather conditions and we know they are great performers whether conditions are wet or dry at the weekend.’’

Hankook motorsports manager Mike Patterson said the rally is one of the highlights of the tyre giant’s motoring calendar – and a great illustration of how the tyres perform on extremely tricky asphalt roads.

“Its always such a well organised event and the Manx is a real test for drivers and to have the right tyres is hugely important,’’ he said. “We have had cars there posting impressive times whatever the weather and are confident that this weekend Julian will be well on the pace.’’

Rallying begins in the Manx capital of Douglas on Friday night for five high speed stages before an overnight halt back at the TT Grandstand in Douglas. On Saturday the crews tackle a further nine stages before the TT Grandstand finish in the afternoon.