Mitsubishi Ralliart Evolution Challenge UK Round Four Preview International Rally Isle of Man 9 & 10 July 2010 Alastair Fisher looking for two wins in a row. Jonny Greer aiming to hold on to Evo Challenge and British Rally Championship lead. Daniel Sigurdarson returns to the Isle of Man to lay his Manx spectre to rest.
..6th July 2010

This weekend’s International Rally Isle of Man hosts round four of the UK Mitsubishi Ralliart Evolution Challenge - as well as the Dulux Trade MSA British Rally Championship. It provides crews with what is likely to be their most demanding event of the season, the Manx lanes renowned for putting drivers, co-drivers and cars to the test.

With the commitment required to take part in this annual asphalt visit to the island, it is perhaps unsurprising that some of the Mitsubishi series regulars are choosing to sit this one out and use the rally as their one dropped score - competitors counting five of the six rounds towards their final championship points total. Therefore, the event will see the three leading Evolution Challenge drivers battling it out for honours.

First to leave the start will be round-three winners Alastair Fisher and co-driver Rory Kennedy. Being the only crew to have a tarmac victory in the series this year, they start as favourites and aim to further improve their standings in both the Evo Challenge and British Championship after DNFs in the first two rounds.

Second on the road will be current series leaders Jonny Greer who, for this rally, has enlisted the  services of the highly-experienced Gordon Noble instead of his regular co-driver Dai Roberts. Following two wins and one second-place finish, Greer is in a commanding position for this year’s Mitsubishi crown, his success so far this season also seeing him at the top of the BRC points table.

Third of the Evolution Challenge crews this weekend is Icelandic brother and sister Daniel Sigurdarson and Asta Sigurdardottir. After crashing heavily on his one and only previous visit to the island in 2008, the former Iceland Rally Champion aims to finish the rally and finally lay the spectre of his Manx memories to rest.

This year’s rally features 143 miles in total and, following the ceremonial start on the North Quay in Douglas on Thursday evening, the competition gets underway on Friday with 13 stages, followed by a further eight on Saturday.

The 2010 Mitsubishi Ralliart Evolution Challenge UK is supported by: Mitsubishi Motors UK, Pirelli tyres, Sunoco fuels, JRM, Cyprus Automobile Association, Fairways Mitsubishi, Speedline Corse wheels, Murray Motorsport, CL brake pads, Sparco racewear and PIAA lights - who sponsor the junior award for under 25-year old drivers.

For the first time this season the winner of the Evolution Challenge in the UK, Ireland and Sweden, will win the same prize: A supported drive in the FxPro Rally Cyprus, the final round of the IRC (Intercontinental Rally Challenge). Then, whichever of the three teams are first home on this event will be crowned European Evolution Challenge Champions. Added to this, the winning driver in the UK will be a guaranteed nomination for the Pirelli Star Driver shoot-out.

Mitsubishi Ralliart Evolution Challenge UK - Round 4 entries
4 Alastair Fisher (Trillick)/Rory Kennedy (Letterkenny)
6 Jonny Greer (Carryduff)/Gordon Noble (Omagh)
12 Daniel Sigurdarson (Iceland)/Asta Sigurdardottir (Iceland)

Series standings after round three
Drivers
1 Jonny Greer 58
2 Daniel Sigurdarson 52
3  Alastair Fisher 20
4= David Bogie 16
4= Owen Murphy 16
6 Peter Horsey 15
Co-drivers
1 Dai Roberts 58
2 Asta Sigurdardottir 52
3  Rory Kennedy 20
4= Kevin Rae 16
4= James O’Brien 16

ENDS

Photo caption
Daniel Sigurdarson is returning to the Isle of Man for the first time since 2008, when the former Iceland Rally Champion’s event ended sooner than he would have liked. He therefore makes a welcome return to the island for this weekend’s round four of the Mitsubishi Ralliart Evolution Challenge, this time with his sister Asta Sigurdardottir as co-driver (Copyright free image, but please credit Jakob Ebrey).