Mitsubushi Motors UK rally report

After having to stop mid-stage and change a wheel during day two of the Rally Isle of Man, Guy Wilks and stand-in co-driver David Moynihan battled back to finish second in round three of the Tesco 99 Octane MSA British Rally Championship.

Starting and finishing from the famous TT Grandstand, just north of the island’s capital Douglas, the event featured four stages on Thursday evening followed by a further 12 on Friday and seven on Saturday.

This makes it the longest asphalt rally in the BRC calendar at 182 competitive miles and therefore, one of the toughest events of the season.

The Isle of Man has a reputation for its changeable weather, a factor that makes tyre choice a lottery – and this year was no exception.

Initially, Thursday evening started dry and Wilks blasted into the lead following the first three stages.

However, stage four was a different matter and, although unfazed by the slippery conditions, the reigning British Champion collected a puncture just two miles into the 13-mile run across the hills.

Without stopping to change the wheel, Wilks made it to the finish and ended the day in second place, 18 seconds behind Mark Higgins who had now inherited the lead.

With leg two set for another front-line battle between Wilks and Higgins, the uncertain weather forecast made tyre selection critical and a last-minute change saw a 10-second penalty applied to Wilks’ time after leaving the service area a minute late.

Even so, because of the pace of the Mitsubishi, the team were confident about the prospect of Wilks catching Higgins.

However, the plan was thwarted on stage eight, the fourth run of the day, when Wilks slid wide and the car dropped into a small ditch – normally not a problem – but a protruding drainage gully broke a wheel, forcing him and Moynihan to stop by the side of the stage and change it.

Inevitably over three minutes were lost, which meant they slipped back to fifth place and now had a tough task ahead of them if they were to stand a chance of winning.

Undeterred, Wilks then fired off a string of fastest stage times to fight back to third and ended day two within striking distance of championship leaderr David Higgins in a Subaru N14.

Wilks passed David Higgins on Sunday's 17th stage and reduced the margin between him and leader Mark Higgins with another batch of fastest stage times. But realising that unless Higgins was to have a problem a win would be out of the question,  Wilks eventually had to settle for second on this occasion. 

Wilks said: “We knew what we had to do this weekend and everything started well but luck was not running with us. We again proved we had the pace to win and to finish second even after changing a wheel is not a bad result.

"We therefore need to put the record straight for the remaining rounds to keep our title hopes on track. I have to thank David (Moynihan) for doing a good job and stepping in at the last minute in place of Phil (Pugh), who is currently suffering from back problems.”

BRC drivers standings (after three rounds) 1 David Higgins 48; 2 Mark Higgins 40; 3 James Wozencroft 39; 4 Guy Wilks 38; 5 Jonathan Greer 37; 6 Stuart Jones 31; 7 Wyn Humphreys 23; 8 Darren Gass 19.

Teams: 1 Atlas TEG Sport 97; 2 Team TQ.com 92; 3 Mitsubishi Motors UK 78; 4 Revolution Wheels 67.