Round 2: Manx Telecom Rally, 6-7 May

Melvyn Evans and co-driver Patrick Walsh won round two of the 2011 championship, the Manx Telecom Rally.

Evans, the 2009 champion, only registered for this year’s series at signing-on prior to the event. He inherited the lead when Paul Bird, who has won the rally for the past two years, retired after his Ford Focus WRC left the road early in the second leg.

Bird was aiming to become the first person in the rally’s 32-year history to win it three times in a row. Meanwhile Evans has now taken three victories: 2002, 2008 and 2011.

Results (Championship competitors emboldened)1 Melvyn Evans / Patrick Walsh (Subaru Impreza WRC) 1h50m53.9s2 Nigel Cannell / Michaela Cannell (Mitsubishi Lancer EVO9) 1h54m40.7s3 Andrew Leece / Graham Fargher (Mitsubishi Lancer EVO6) 1h55m08.3s

Championship positions (provisional)after Round 21John Stone – 37 points2 Graham Coffey – 353 John Indri – 324 David Hardie – 315 Steve Simpson – 25