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Daniel Barry and co-driver Martin Brady were delighted to cross the line of the Manx Telecom Rally to win the fourth round of the Mitsubishi Ralliart Evolution Challenge and, in doing so, take their third Mitsubishi series victory of the season - their first on asphalt.
Traditionally the first non-forest rally of the season for the Mitsubishi series, even with just three cars the event saw the Evolution Challenge field represent 43% of the N4 Class and 37.5% of the MSA Gravel Championship entry.
The action got underway on Friday evening with a run through Port Erin on the southern coast of the Ireland. Fastest of the Evo Challenge crews on the first stage were Barry/Brady, who stopped the clock just over a second ahead of both Hughes/Parry and Elsmore/Drew.
With the weather on the island living up to its reputation of changing from dry to wet on the same stretch of road, grip levels for the evening’s remaining four stages were a lottery and in SS2 Hughes/Parry were caught out and spun, losing 20 seconds in the process.
As cars headed to the TT Grandstand for the overnight halt after six stages, interim results showed Barry/Brady leading the Evo Challenge charge by 17 seconds, ahead of Hughes/Parry, who were doing their best to make up for lost time and had overhauled Elsmore/Drew by 14 seconds.
Saturday dawned dry and bright and the first loop of four stages was run mainly in the dry. Hughes/Parry were to drop time again on the second of the morning’s stages, when a front driveshaft took a turn for the worse. However, that soon became the least of their worries when, on the next stage, the car went light going over a series of bumps and spun at over 100 mph, bouncing off the banks on either side of the road.
Although the front and rear of their Evo IX was damaged and the car’s differential pump had been broken – causing the centre differential not to operate correctly – Hughes was able to nurse the car back to Douglas for the first service halt of the day, where his team set about a variety of repairs.
Barry/Brady also experienced dramas on stage nine, when their car bounced into a ditch following a deceptive jump just before the finish. They admitted that luck was on their side, as they got away with just a puncture, the removal of the rear bumper and, most importantly, without losing any time.
Just before the next leg of three stages the heavens opened and all three Evo Challenge crews were pleased to have opted for wet-weather tyres. But when the rain stopped and SS12 was cancelled due to an obstruction in the stage, the roads in SS13 started to dry out, which caused the Mitsubishi crews a series of entertaining sideways moments due to the choice of soft rubber.
This time it was Elsmore/Drew who reported a time loss, their delay caused by an intermittently operating throttle sensor which was making the car rev erratically. Luckily, having had the same problem happen before, they were carrying a spare unit and were able to change it before the next stage.
At the final service halt the time sheets revealed Barry/Brady were now ahead by a minute, which meant that a steady run through the final three stages was the best course of action. Their strategy was executed perfectly and they returned to Douglas later that afternoon to record their third Evo Challenge victory of the season and their first championship win on tarmac.
“It’s great to take my third win of the season – especially on tarmac”, said Barry. “We had a really good run all weekend and the car was excellent. We were a bit lucky this morning getting away with our brief visit to the ditch, but this result really sets us up well for the second half of the season.”
Elsmore/Drew crossed the line one-minute, ten seconds later, whilst Hughes/Parry did all they could to make up for lost time and were pleased to get back to the finish to claim third place - the ten minute penalty applied by the organisers in light of their morning’s dramas making no difference to their championship position.
The fifth round of the Evolution Challenge sees a return to gravel roads and the first of two events in Wales, when the series heads to Builth Wells for the Severn Valley National Rally on 30th May.
The 2009 Mitsubishi Ralliart Evolution Challenge is supported by Mitsubishi Motors UK, Ralliart, Pirelli tyres, Sunoco fuels, JR Motorsports, Speedline Corse wheels, Carbone Lorraine brakes, Walkinshaw Performance, Sparco racewear and PIAA lights - who sponsor the junior award for under 25-year old drivers.
Round four results
1 Daniel Barry (Enniskerry)/Martin Brady (Navan) 1:34:54.6
2 Nik Elsmore (Coleford)/Craig Drew (Bream) 1:36:04.4
3 Simon Hughes (Abergle)/Craig Parry (Llanymynech) 1:48:25.9
Championship positions after round four
Drivers
1 Daniel Barry 46
2 Simon Hughes 40
3 Nik Elsmore 31
4 Owen Murphy 21
5 Alan Carmichael 18
6 Andreas Magnusson 8
7 Neil Armstrong 4
Co-drivers
1 Martin Brady 46
2 Craig Parry 30
3 Craig Drew 31
4 Dai Roberts 21
5 Ivor Lamont 18
6 Patrick Walsh 10
7 Henrik Hulterskog 8
8 Max Ferri 4
Photo: Daniel Barry and co-driver Martin Brady recorded their third Mitsubishi Ralliart Evolution Challenge victory of the season, when they won round four – the first asphalt surface event of the year - the Manx Telecom Rally (copyright free image).
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