One month earlier than normal, a capacity entry of almost 150 crews are set to start this weekend’s Proflex Manx Rally.

The date change unfortunately means a clash with round two of the British Rally Championship, the Carlisle Stages in the Kielder Forest area.

Last year’s Manx Rally winners James Williams and Ross Whittock, along with 2023 victors Callum Black and Jack Morton are among several leading crews absent.

Blackpool’s 2022 winner Neil Roskell (Ford Fiesta) will therefore lead the crews into action on Friday morning with local co-driver Rob Fagg, who won in 2017 alongside Hugh Hunter.

The pair finished third of the Protyre BTRDA Asphalt Rally Championship contenders on the season-opening East Riding Stages in February.

Starting behind, Mark Kelly/Will Atkins (VW Golf) were running in second place last year until brake problems intervened, while David Wright (Fiesta) led in 2023 until a collision with a bank at Eairy.

Seeded four are Jason Pritchard/Phil Clarke, bidding for a record-breaking sixth victory, currently tied with Kenny McKinstry and Noel Orr for the most wins in the event’s 45-year history.

They have switched to a Toyota Yaris GR and this will be only their second outing after a top-10 finish at East Riding. The pair’s pace on their favourite Manx stages make them pre-event favourites.

Multiple podium finishers, Roger Duckworth (Fiesta) and Damian Cole (Citroen C3), also feature in the top 20.

Leading Irish driver Garry Jennings has placed a late entry with Rory Kennedy in a new Ford Fiesta. They won the Tour of the Sperrins last weekend so will be leading contenders here. It may be 20 years since Jennings last competed here.

The leading local crew is at number 22, Steve Colley/Joe Dooley (Mitsubishi Evo IX), Colley having finished fourth in 2023. It is likely to be Colley’s last go at the National.

Other all-wheel drive local crews include France-domiciled Gary Leece and niece Sarah Coole in a Skoda Fabia, and Maxx Bradshaw/Liam Whitely in an Evo IX.

Car rallying
Maxx Bradshaw finished third in the Targa Rally with his road-going Subaru Impreza. He had his 15-year-old brother Travis in the hot seat beside him (Photo: Wayne Hargrave) ( (Photo: Wayne Hargrave))

Bradshaw warmed up for the event by finishing third on the Haydn Minay Jurby Targa Rally a few weeks ago, won by father and son James and Ned Hampton.

Crowd favourite Martyn Jones will be looking to upset the four wheel drive crews once again, with the Vauxhall Nova re-built after a Cambrian Rally roll last autumn. George Collister and Ian Postlethwaite (BMW E30) are set to push him all the way.

The shakedown stage takes place early Friday morning at Barroose, with the event proper underway from the TT Grandstand from 11am for a daytime loop of 22 stage miles starting with Keristal/Old Castletown Road, a double run of Pooil Vaaish, Braaid/St Mark’s and concluding over Mount Rule/West Baldwin.

Friday evening takes in a similar loop from 6.35pm, 35 further stage miles, with the Pooil Vaaish tests finishing at the Southern 100 start line and extended versions of the Braaid and Baldwins stages, with SS9 Ellerslie the longest of the event at 15.87 miles.

Saturday takes in 60 stage miles over eight tests from 9.15am. Axnfell/Glen Roy start the four-stage loop tackled twice, followed by Dog Mills and Kerrowmooar in the north of the island, and completed by the famous Druidale/Brandywell Cottage/Injebreck/Abbeylands run to Cronk ny Mona, with the leading crews scheduled at the TT Grandstand finish at 3.30pm.

Leading crews and locals: First 10 seeded crews: 1, Neil Roskell/Rob Fagg* (Ford Fiesta Rally2); 2, Mark Kelly/Will Atkins (VW Polo); 3, David Wright/Jane Nicol (Fiesta); 4, Jason Pritchard/Phil Clarke (Toyota Yaris); 5, Ryan Loughran/Gareth Doherty (Fiesta); 6, Sam Touzel/Max Freeman (Fiesta); 7, Hugh Brunton/Richard Crozier (Škoda Fabia Rally2); 8, Aaron McLaughlin/Darren Curran (VW Polo); 9, Marty Toner/Aodhan Gallagher (Proton Satria); 10, Steve Wood/Kenny Hull (Citroen C3); 151, Garry Jennings/Rory Kennedy (Fiesta).

Locals: 18, John Stone/Kirsty Duke* (Polo Gti); 22, Steve Colley/Joseph Dooley (Mitsubishi Evo 9); 24, Martyn Jones*/Llion Williams (Vauxhall Nova); 25, Maxx Bradshaw/Liam Whitely (Evo IX); 26, George Collister/Ian Postlethwaite (BMW 328i); 31, Gary Leece/Sarah Coole (Skoda Fabia); 45, Tim Cole*/Phil Sandham (BMW E36); 47, Dai Roberts/Stephen Christian* (Peugeot 205); 55, Mark Holmes/Mark Perryman* (Ford Escort Mk1); 61, Sean Kelly/Jack Corlett (Evo IX); 64, John Tear/Robert Turton (Evo IX); 65, Kyle Casement/Martin Burns (Citroen C2); 72, Tony Shields/Barrie Ford* (Escort Mk2); 76, Mal Boyd/Dannii Matthews* (Escort Mk2); 77, Max Murray/Matty Owen (Citroen DS3); 78, Dave Sutcliffe/Rick Sutcliffe (BMW 325i); 82, Adam Midghall*/Thomas Pidden (Evo IX); 85, Declan Jackson*/TBC (Escort Mk2); 86, Michael Savino/Liam McCann (Peugeot 205); 92, David and Janet Craine (Escort Cosw); 95, Jake Clague/Gavin Clague (Vauxhall Corsa); 97, Michael Taylor/Andrew Holmes (Citroen C2); 98, Alexander Horton/Gabriel Grosu (BMW 325i); 99, Connor Bridson/Conor Farmer (Corsa); 100, Tristan Kewley/Andrew Dudgeon (Evo); 101, Kealan Beattie/Amelia Leach (Suzuki Swift); 110, Kevin Jeffray/Melanie Caple* (Mini Cooper S); 112, Ben Hardy/Daniel Long (Escort); 113, Joe Merrills/Mark Brew* (Honda Civic); 115, Michael McKenna/Mark Wagstaffe (Vauxhall Astra); 121, Ashley Lewandowskyj/Harry Ackers (Nova); 131, Stephen Higgins/Chris Heyes (Mini Cooper); 137, Greg Pye/Ken Cottee (Seat Ibiza); 138, Grant Skeoch/Jack Mylchreest (BMW E30); 141, Peter Harrison/Nigel Morris (Peugeot 106); 143, Terry Phillips/Mark Leece (VW Golf). *local driver or co-driver

CHRIS BOYDE