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 A flawless drive in this weekend's RBS International Manx Rally saw Neil McCance record his first ever victory in the Mitsubishi Ralliart Evolution Challenge, he and co-driver Ian Windress finishing 25 seconds ahead of second-placed Sebastian Ling and Aled Rees.
It was another nail-biting battle in the series for Group N Lancer Evolutions, with Ling leading the Mitsubishi runners for most of the event. But a brief off-road excursion and a determination to score championship points saw the Welshman steady his stance towards the end of the rally, allowing McCance the opportunity to score a maiden win in his fourth season as an Evo Challenge competitor.
The event began on Friday evening with five stages held on the closed Isle of Man roads, things made particularly treacherous for the 15 Mitsubishi crews and the event's other 115 competitors by the on-set of rain a couple of hours before the start.
Ling acclimatised to the conditions immediately, taking the Evo Challenge lead after the first stage and, following SS2, was an impressive second overall, ahead of many of the more powerful WRC cars. He was followed closely by Julian Reynolds, Connor McCloskey, then McCance and championship leader Phillip Morrow, who had opted for a cautious start.
Fog over the hills combined with heavy rain and nightfall meant that the longest stage of the rally, the 21-mile SS3, was a nightmare for many - especially two of the Junior Mitsubishi drivers: David Bogie, who hit a wall and damaged his Evo too much to continue and Errol Clark, who went straight-on at a corner and got stuck in a ditch. As it turned out the stage was also a nightmare for rally organisers, who eventually had to scratch it from the results after problems with time recording in the bad weather.
After a further two stages the Evo Challenge leader-board at the overnight halt showed Ling 28 seconds ahead of Morrow, these two pulling away from the rest having embraced the elements. Reynolds, McCloskey and McCance were each over a minute off the Evo Challenge lead, with all Mitsubishi crews reporting dramatic moments in the poor visibility. This included Gordon Cunningham who removed a wheel on a rock just a few miles from the finish of the first leg, giving him little choice but to retire on the spot.
With the weather brightening-up for Saturday's ten stages and the roads drying out, is was inevitable that the pace would increase, with crews keen to make up for any time lost the previous evening. One such driver, having been held up by other competitor's accidents, was Nik Elsmore. However, his charge was short-lived when his car slid into a bank at speed, flipped over and skidded down the road on its side halfway through SS6, the debris and spilt oil causing the stage to be stopped while his crumpled Evo was removed.
Then, just to make it interesting, both Ling and Morrow went off on stage eight, each losing about a minute in the process. Luckily their cars were not badly damaged, although Ling emerged with a broken rear screen after a spectator had jumped on the back of his car in an attempt to help get it out of a ditch. For Morrow, the damage was restricted to a broken turbo pipe.
Their subsequent delays closed-up the front of the Mitsubishi field and, at the first service halt of the day after a loop of four stages, the score sheets showed Ling still ahead, just nine-seconds in front of Morrow, who was now only six-seconds ahead of Reynolds. McCance was a further 26-seconds behind, but delighted to have taken his first ever Evo Challenge fastest stage times on SS6 and SS8.
The next loop, this time featuring three stages, was to see more dramas unfold for Mitsubishi competitors. McCloskey was the first to suffer, clipping a kerb on stage ten, the resulting damage disabling his car too much to continue. Daniel Barry spoilt a good run by doing a similar thing on the same stretch of road, but managed to carry-on, albeit with a broken wheel and bent suspension.
The dramas continued when the leading positions also changed, Morrow clipping a rock and smashing the front nearside wheel. In order to ensure no other components were damaged beyond repair, the young Ulsterman intuitively stopped at the side of the road and removed the strut, brake disc and caliper. He then slid the car to the end of the stage on three wheels, where his service crew repaired the damage - enough to get the car back to the service halt after SS12, which he drove without brakes!
Stage 11 was more unkind to Reynolds, who retired when he lost all drive from the transmission and subsequently coasted to a halt. At about the same time Ling started to become aware of a couple of problems that had been caused by his earlier excursion, a hole in his car's intercooler and a vibration from a front wheel affecting his progress.
All this activity meant that McCance was now in the lead by just three seconds, he and Ling, now nearly three minutes ahead of their nearest rival Wayne Sisson, as they left the service halt for the last three-stage loop.
Not wanting to throw away the chances of a good points haul, Ling opted for the safe option, whilst McCance, who couldn't put a foot wrong if he tried, continued at his former pace, collecting another batch of fastest Evo Challenge stage times in the process.
Pulling out a final margin of 25 seconds, the popular Irishman crossed the line to record his best ever result, which besides his first Evolution Challenge victory, included a win in Group N and an overall finish of 8th.
"I was really pleased this morning when I had found out I had posted my first Evo Challenge fastest time, but to take my first win in the series, especially when it's a rally as tough as this, is just fantastic. We had a few problems during the week leading up to the event and, if Ian (Windress) hadn't stepped in at the last minute, I may have had to withdraw with no co-driver, but everything went perfectly during the rally. Now cancel the ferry - there's a few drinks to be had tonight!"
Ling came home in second, albeit a little disappointed not to have won having been the top Evo driver for most of the event, but was pleased to have collected ten points. Sisson finished third and, in doing so, posted his best Evo Challenge result so far - not bad as he does not consider tarmac to be his strongest subject.
Having overcome a few problems, Stephen Petch ended his rally in fourth place, picking up the PIAA Junior Award in the process, whilst Daniel Barry was second in the under 25 year-old category and relieved to get to the finish in fifth.
Although dropping around 20 minutes to the leaders during the day, Morrow returned to Douglas in sixth place and in doing so retained his Championship lead - now just two points ahead of Ling.
Jon Sparks delivered another solid performance by finishing seventh, with Wayne Radford pleased with his eighth place, especially as his efforts also rewarded him with his first win in the Evo Cup - his main rival and early leader in the series for nearer-to-standard Mitsubishis, Miles Johnston, retiring on SS12 with gearbox difficulties.
It's now back to Gravel for the Evolution Challenge crews, when they head to mid-Wales for the Severn Valley Stages, round four of the championship, which takes place on 2nd June.
The Evolution Challenge offers drivers what is widely regarded as the best prize in British rallying - the chance to become a Mitsubishi works driver in the 2008 British Rally Championship.
Also included in this year's Mitsubishi championship are the Pirelli and Performance Friction Brakes Cups.
The series is backed by Mitsubishi Motors UK Ralliart, with support from its associate sponsors: Pirelli, PIAA, Speedline Corse, Sparco, Performance Friction Brakes, Shell Helix and Tesco 99 Octane - suppliers of the controlled fuel for the championship.
ENDS
Results
1 Wayne Radford (Dinnington)/Paul Drew (Stroud) - 1:49:34.9
Retirements
SS3 David Bogie (Dumfries)/Rob Fagg (Isle of Man) - Accident
SS3 Errol Clark (Irvinestown)/Martin McGarrity - Accident
SS5 Gordon Cunningham (Galston)/Stuart McManus Accident
SS6 Nik Elsmore (Coleford)/Vicky Allen (Denbigh) - Accident
SS10 Connor McCloskey (Kilirea)/Robbie Durant (Bicester) - Accident
SS11 Julian Reynolds (Narberth)/Patrick Walsh (Aberystwyth) - Transmisson
SS12 Miles Johnstone (York)/Ian Bevan (Wrexham) - Transmission
Co-drivers
1 Aled Rees 27
2 Simon Morrow 24
3 Ian Windress 22
4 Patrick Walsh 16
5 Michael Wilkinson 16
6 Daniel Stone 13
7 Vicky Allen 9
8 Robert Fagg 9
9 Mark Bowens 8
10 Damien Connelly 6
Co-drivers
1 Ian Bevan 24
2 Paul Drew 12
2 Nick Cadwallader 10
3 Miquel Amblas 10
4 Graeme Walker 8
1 Phillip Morrow 13
2 Stephen Petch 11
3 David Bogie 6
4 Daniel Barry 6
5 Connor McCloskey 4
6 Errol Clarke 2
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