Three-time winner of the British Historic Rally Championship, Jason Pritchard, heads back to the Isle of Man next weekend (11th May – 12th May) determined to make up for last year’s disappointment as he looks to win on the island in this year’s MSA Asphalt Rally Championship.
Joined in his North Road Garage Ford Focus WRC05 by co-driver Phil Clarke, Pritchard will be sitting in the car for the first time since this event in 2017:
“I’ve enjoyed some amazing highs whilst driving on the Isle of Man and some serious lows, last year was a real disappointment but I’m 100% prepared to try and make amends over the two-day event. This rally is a real test for both crews and machine, I can’t wait to get back behind the wheel and to get going, I’m excited to see what we can do.”
Pritchard has enjoyed some great success on the island and became the first driver to win the Historic Rally Championship three years in a row (2014, 2015, 2016). However, he also knows how crucial it is to have luck on your side, in his debut event in 2013 he missed out on top spot by a matter of seconds after stalling at the start and in 2017 he had a 3 minute lead on the penultimate stage but an electrical fault forced the Welshman to stop for over six and half minutes. He was the fastest car out there on every stage apart from this, and this saw him finish 3rd when top spot looked destined to be his.
The 29-year-old from Builth Wells is looking forward to competiting in the darkness as the rally kicks off on the Friday evening this time round:
“I can’t wait for the Friday night stages, we don’t often get the chance to compete in the dark here in the UK, it’s an unusual but exciting challenge. I’m confident that myself and Phil can get a good recce under our belts and then it’s a case of committing to these notes.”
This year’s two-day Manx National Rally contains 130 stage miles spread over 16 special stages, in a compact route with only 120 road miles. The event begins with four separate stages – Creg-ny-Baa, Druidale, Knocksharry and Baldwins – ran twice on the Friday night, with competition continuing well past midnight.
Saturday contains another four stages – Keristal, Parville, St Mark’s and Balladoole – also ran twice. The longest stage of the event is Parville at 12.86 miles, followed by Knocksharry (12.08 miles) and Baldwins (11.34 miles).
As always, Pritchard is grateful to the support from his team and sponsors:
“I wouldn’t be able to compete without the team and support network around me, including my sponsors: North Road Garage, Harkness Competition Tyres, Pirelli and Monaville Guest House.”
