The Manx National car rally looks set to carry international status for the first time next May.

Motorsport UK has confirmed that Manx Auto Sport will be issued with an international stage rallies permit for its 2020 event, ranking it alongside other FIA-sanctioned events in the European calendar.

It’s perfect timing for the ’National’ as it has always been known as the traditional early May event celebrates its 40th anniversary.

’After the cancellation of Rally Isle of Man in 2018, Manx Auto Sport applied for an upgrade of its national licence to international,’ said club president and deputy clerk of the course Mark Ellison.

’We applied in April of this year and two senior Motorsport UK officials reviewed our most recent event in May.

’Their response was very positive, it is clear that the MSA [as was] still want an international standard event to run in the Isle of Man and we as a club are very keen to promote one.’

It is unlikely that there will be any major changes on the surface. The regular National A and B events (the latter being the Chris Kelly Memorial) will run as normal next May, with an international class to be run alongside them. All classes will be accommodated.

A lot of the arrangements need to be formally planned and agreed, but tentative plans are already in place to include the event in with the popular Irish Tarmac and other major rally championships for 2021.

Looking ahead, it is likely that the national will continue in its regular May slot but it may be possible that the international status event will run separately in years to come.

’The regular September date that Rally IoM occupied has already been replaced in the UK calendar by another event,’ continues Ellison. ’We’ll stick with May for the time being, but it may be possible to get the date back and run it in September as that was always popular.

’We will only run it as a full international away from the national when we are comfortable and confident of running it at that level,’ he emphasised.

He and Manx National Rally clerk of the course, club chairman Mark Quayle, have already produced a provisional route for 2020 involving 146 stage miles. The Friday evening will possibly be a little shorter than this year, but the Saturday will start earlier and therefore be slightly longer.

’We’ll continue with the tried and tested format for the time being, just up the mileage slightly.’

Manx Auto Sport’s other major event is the PokerStars Rally, which is set to run on November 8-9 of this year.

The dates for the 2020 Manx National/International (an official title has not yet been decided), will be on May 8-9. This year’s event was sponsored by Master Pixel-Media.

Between time the event will have a presence at the Motorsport Show at the NEC in Birmingham next January, meantime members of the organising committee have visited other stage rallies in Belgium, Scotland and Ireland this year to assist with those events and establish good working relationships with the organisers of the respective set-ups.

While it is all great news for Manx Auto Sport, the culmination of years of hard work by countless volunteers, the committee admits that the hard work starts now.