Mitsubishi Motivated for Manx Challenge

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The third round of the Tesco 99 Octane MSA British Rally Championship, the Rally Isle of Man, starts on Thursday and will see the Mitsubishi Motors UK rally team back in action with drivers Rory Galligan and Ryan Champion competing in the two works Lancer Evolution IXs.

After finishing on exactly the same time (to the tenth of a second) as his Subaru rival Mark Higgins in round two - the Jim Clark Rally, Rory Galligan (from Oldcastle, Southern Ireland) and co-driver Greg Shinnors (from Limerick, Southern Ireland), became victims of the tie-break rule, where the fastest on the opening stage is credited with the advantage.

Predictably, Galligan would like to reverse the outcome this weekend, but is mindful of keeping his Championship aspirations in focus:

“I’ve only been to the Isle of Man twice in my life, whereas Mark was born there.” Said Galligan. “Therefore everyone is expecting him to win which turns some of the pressure off me. Needless to say, I shall be giving it all I’ve got, but driving with the Championship in mind. Making sure I get to the finish and score as many points as possible is the most important thing - and if we win? Great!”


Last year Higgins won the event overall and Galligan took victory in the Production Class, a result which sets the scene for an epic battle over the island’s closed public roads.

Champion (from Castleton, North Yorkshire), together with his co-driver Craig Thorley (from Pocklington, East Yorkshire), have already proved they are title contenders, having won the first round outright and finishing third in round two. Champion has also shown his potential on the Isle of Man, after winning Group N and the Evolution Challenge on the island last year:

“This is one of the world’s classic tarmac rallies and it will be great to do it as a works driver. I’ve competed on the island five times, four in the International and once in the National. I’m pleased to say I’ve had some good results here so it’s become my favorite event. If it all goes well then I’m confident that we’ll be in a top position, especially as there’s less pressure on us for this event.”

Team Principal and Ralliart General Manager Paul Brigden is looking for his cars to be on the podium once again, following the results from the last two BRC rounds:

“I’ve been very pleased with the speed of our cars so far this year. Ryan won the Pirelli Rally and Rory set fastest times on 14 of the 21 stages on the Jim Clark Rally, so I’m confident that both will run at the front of the field this weekend. However, this is a long and arduous event and therefore difficult for drivers, as they have to conserve their cars and at the same time stay on the leading pace.”

With 187 competitive miles in store the International Rally Isle of Man is the longest in the BRC calendar, outside of the Wales Rally GB. The event starts from the famous Douglas TT Grandstand at 6.00 pm on Thursday and sees five stages before the overnight halt. A further 12 stages take place on Friday, with Saturday seeing another seven before the finish at 4.00 pm back in Douglas.

The Cirencester-based Mitsubishi Motors UK team is supported by: Pirelli, Rampage Performance Motorparts, Shell Helix, PIAA, Speedline Corse and Performance Friction Brakes. The team’s Lancer Evolution IXs are built by ADR Motorsport of Chesterfield, who are also responsible for running the cars on events.

More at: http://www.adrmotorsport.com and http://www.mitsubishi-cars.co.uk/features/motorsport.asp

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