Citroen Racing Trophy UK returns to tarmac action in Northern Ireland

Jukka Korhonen, who stunned many with his win earlier this year, will head up the actionRound four, with new stages featuring a host of bumps and jumps, is expected to test drivers, cars and crews to the maximum

Round four of the Citroen Racing Trophy UK will take place on the Todds Leap Ulster Rally. The rally gets underway on Friday from a new base in Enniskillen, Co. Fermanagh.

The Rally NI section hosts the Citroen Racing Trophy UK and MSA British Rally Championship runners and it is 29-year-old Finn, Jukka Korhonen, who will start at number one, as he leads both the British Rally Championship and Citroen Racing Trophy UK series. Korhonen surprised many with his devastating win on the tarmac of the Jim Clark Rally, but the Ulster roads will provide a different terrain again, with the new stages set to be quite a challenge.

Alastair Fisher is one man who is very much looking forward to the event, as it is now a home rally for the racer. Fisher won the last round of the British Rally Championship and had been due to compete in the Citroen Top Driver series for the German round of the WRC this weekend, but a roll last time out in Finland means hell be racing on home ground instead.

Welsh driver, Tom Cave, will be third of the 1600cc turbo-charged DS3 R3s to start; Cave showed promise on his Ulster Rally debut last year and he is confident that improved pace-notes will help him better his performance this time out.

Meanwhile, Jonny Greer and Pirelli Star Driver, Mark Donnelly, are both likely to perform well at the two-day rallythe pair will race in DGM-run Citroen DS3s alongside Alastair Fisher.

The rally, which will run on the Ulster lanes, will hopefully be a happier hunting ground for John MacCrone, whose undoubted speed has been hampered by mirror errors and other issues in recent rounds.

Osian Pryce is another man who will be looking to recover from a spate of bad luck; the Welshman was unable to take part in the last round of the Trophy, as his DS3 suffered a gearbox problem prior to the start of the Scottish rally.

Desi Henry too makes a return to the series, having missed the Scottish round and having traditionally run well at the event, the Portglenone driver may well be in contention for a strong result this weekend.

Rounding out the top 12 is James Grint; this weekend marks his second visit to the Ulster Rally. Grint clocked some fast times towards the end of the Scottish Rally, so hell be one to watch, should any frontrunners hit trouble.

The nine CRT UK crews will have a real challenge ahead of them this weekend. There are 15 special stages, 12 of which are closed road tests, while the remaining three are spectator specials around the St.Angelo airfield, where the central service area is located.

Combining these stages with the fact that the Northern Ireland Motor Club is including terrain that was used in the WRC Rally Ireland events, its likely to be demanding event for both the DS3s and the crews.

The first car leaves Enniskillen town on Friday at 1330, with large crowds expected to witness the Citroen Racing Trophy UK battle.


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