Indian driver SD Roy finished an eventful Rally Isle of Man at the weekend (17 – 19 July) to claim more points in the British Rally Championship (BRC).

Milton Keynes-based Roy and co-driver Brad Magnus came home 31st overall and fifth in class R2 in their 1800cc MG ZR car, run by M3 Motorsport, in round three of the BRC despite enduring their fair share of problems on the 165-mile tarmac event.

The drama started on Friday when in service they chose to run on a slick tyre as the conditions were dryer only to find that when they reached the other side of the island to contest a stage that it was raining. But after changing back to a wet tyre in the afternoon they had a trouble-free finish to the second leg of the rally.

Yet more bad luck then struck on the second stage on the final day on Saturday when halfway through the test the gearbox broke and Roy found himself stuck in third gear. 

After making it round the following stage with the problem the pair went into service but did not have enough time to solve the issue. Roy and Brad made the decision to continue the rally with only the one gear; completing five and a half stages in third gear before eventually making it back to the finish at the TT Grandstand in Douglas.

“I was just so happy to make it to the finish given that we only had one gear at the end,” Calcutta-born Roy said. “I thought at one point that we wouldn’t make it round or be able to finish without Superally.

“I enjoyed the event despite the problems and before we had the gearbox problem everything was going well and I was confident. I love the stages even though they are tricky.

“I’m grateful to the service crew at M3 Motorsport, I appreciate their hard work and they tried their best to fix the gearbox. I’m also thankful to Brad for stepping in whilst Bob [Stokoe, co-driver] was away on holiday and he was great at encouraging me to continue. It’s good to get some more points in the championship as well.”

Roy is now ninth in the class R2 drivers’ standings in the BRC following on from the event. He will return to action in round four, the Ulster International Rally, on 22 – 23 August.