Round Two Report- Manx National

Pic: Chicane Media

Well, what an incredible week it has been. The whole team are mentally, physically, and financially drained, but it was oh so worth it! The most challenging event we have ever done, and we did ourselves proud in the little 106.

The event almost looked like it wasn’t meant to be before we had even left Somerset. The car was all ready to go, early for a change, and a routine road test to set up the suspension ended in a big puddle of damper fluid which soaked everything in sight. The car was quickly taken apart again, and the front dampers sent off to Avo in Northampton to identify and resolve the problem. With 4 days to go before leaving for the Isle of Man, on the Friday night Bill and Charlie drove the 7 hour trip to Northampton to collect the dampers, ready to fit over the weekend.

With the car back together a very quick last minute road test was done to tweak the setup, before the team set off very early on Wednesday morning. Andy and Scott put in a great effort, driving the van and trailer on a 400 mile round trip from the South East of England, across to pick the car up in Somerset and then all the way up to Heysham where they would get the ferry over to the Island. The rest of the team flew out, and went straight to do the recce upon arrival.

The Isle of Man really is a very special place. With the TT happening just a couple weeks after the rally, the preparations were in full swing and you could really feel the atmosphere with the rally based at the TT Grandstand. We all now have an increased level of respect for the TT riders after seeing just how steep Bray Hill is and the rawness of the circuit….they definitely all need their brains tested.

All went well on the recce, in beautiful sunshine, other than feeling very tired after what had already been a long week. A quick last minute clutch change was carried out during the day on Thursday after a new clutch cover was slipping. The car and team were finally ready to go, and in need of a rest!

After pleasant weather on the recce, Friday was a different story, with bitterly cold winds and then torrential rain just in time for the rally’s evening start. Bill hadn’t done a dry day’s rallying for roughly 3 years, so the team were not put off by the terrible weather.

The first stage went well, with just one small mistake, being caught out with what seemed like a river running across the road, whilst trying to stop the car for a chicane.

Next it was on to stage two, the famous Druidale stage, a tight, twisty and bumpy road through the mountains. With the rain still coming down by the bucket load, the team were greeted by a wall of fog as they approached the start line. With visibility at a maximum of 30 meters in front of the little 106, the team took a cautious start until the fog cleared when they dropped into the valley. This was without a doubt, the most difficult stage the team have ever done. It would have been tough in the dry, but with the shiny tarmac and an unbelievable amount of standing water, the crew aquaplaned their way through and somehow managed to get through safely, unlike many other competitors whose cars were strewn all over the Manx mountain.

The team made their way to stages 3 and 4, but unfortunately both were cancelled due to accidents on the stages. The team were given notional times, which saw them lose out to the overall 1400 leader Lloyd Morgan, and they headed back to service. Next up, was to bolt the lamp pod on and do the full loop in the dark!

The second set of stages went smoothly, taking a cautious approach through the dark and wet stages. As a result of the earlier SS3 and 4 being cancelled, Bill and Andy dropped a little time to their competitors running further up the field who had completed the first run through the Knocksharry (SS7) and Baldwins (SS8) stages in daylight.

All went well until the end of the last stage, when the crew lost brakes at the end of SS8. A scary moment with the brake pedal going to the floor, but fortunately not much time was lost with it happening right at the end of the stage. The team limped back to service using gears and the cable handbrake to safely slow the car down on the road section. Luckily the team got straight to work in Service and were able to resolve the problem which was found to be a burst rear brake pipe. The team finished the day lying a great 2nd in class.

Day two came and brought beautiful sunshine, a complete contrast to Friday’s action. With the stages expected to be a little damp still first thing, the crew took intermediate tyres for the first loop. A delay on the first stage of the delay due to a competitors car catching on fire, meant that the roads were completely dry, and the tyres were not the right choice. Despite this the team set fastest time in the 1400 category on the first stage of the day, Keristal, using part of the famous Marine Drive (see in-car video below).

The team continued on a comfortable pace and completed the day’s other 7 stages well, bringing the little 106 home in 28th overall out of 130 starters, an amazing result for their first time on the Island. The crew also picked up second in class for their efforts, which means they remain in the lead for the 1400 category of the Protyre MSA National Asphalt Championship.

It was a really tough event, and to bring the 106 home ahead of all of the local 1400 crews in a really strong overall position was a great result. Now it’s on to the next round of the championship, over in Belgium in just 2 weeks time.

A massive thanks must go to the whole team, it was an immense effort from everyone, and we’re glad we were able to bring back a result we can all be proud of.