Keith Cronin recorded
his very first Mitsubishi Ralliart Evolution Challenge
victory on this weekend’s RBS International Manx
Rally when, with co-driver Greg Shinnors, he took the
lead after Richard Cathcart/Martin Brady suffered a puncture
and then mechanical problems on the penultimate stage.
After winning last year’s
Evolution Challenge on the island, Neil McCance delivered
another top-class performance to finish second, whilst
Daniel Barry managed to cling onto his championship lead
after surviving a host of incidents throughout the event
to claim third place and his 100% podium position finish
record this season.
The Isle of Man’s
demanding tarmac roads lived up to their reputation of
providing competitors with one of the toughest tests of
the season, when 12 Evolution Challenge crews met up with
teams contesting the Pirelli MSA Gravel Rally Championship,
the Richard Egger Insurance MSA Asphalt Rally Championship
and others just entering the 120-mile rally on an individual
basis, to provide a total entry of 124 cars.
The first of the rally’s
five stages on Friday evening got underway with a run
through the South West coast town of Port Erin, Nik Elsmore
setting the fastest time just 0.3 seconds ahead of Cathcart,
with Miles Johnston 0.2 seconds further back in third.
Albeit the highest Evo
Challenge seed, McCance was the slowest Mitsubishi through
the stage, having been caught out on cold tyres causing
him to spin on the second corner. However, the Ulsterman
redeemed himself on SS2, when he climbed back up to third
place, behind Cronin and Cathcart - who were now the pace-setters.
After a further three
stages, competitors arrived at the Douglas TT grandstand
for the overnight halt, where the time sheets showed Cathcart
in charge with a healthy 25 second advantage over Cronin,
who was a further 25 seconds ahead of McCance.
Outside the Evo Challenge
top three, others reported their Friday night out in the
Manx lanes was not as successful: Although in fourth,
round one winner David Bogie was struggling to find the
right set-up for his brand new ‘tarmac-spec’
Evo, whilst just behind, championship leader Barry had
suffered a broken rear shock absorber on SS2 and then
rear differential problems on SS4. Elsmore’s had
also dropped back, his early advantage eradicated following
a spin on SS3 and a puncture on SS5.
Manx debutants included
Simon Harraway, who lost time with a spin during the evening
and David Meredith, whose run of bad luck continued when
a driveshaft broke as he left the line on SS4. For Daniel
Sigurdarson, the event was proving to be a real education,
as this was the first time the Icelandic rally champion
had ever competed on tarmac, and if it was not for clipping
a road-side rock on the first stage, it would have been
a perfect start to his asphalt debut.
Saturday featured a
further nine stages, the first loop of three providing
drivers with challenge, the rapidly drying overnight rain
causing unpredictable levels of grip. Worst affected was
SS7, a point proved first by Bogie, who spun, clipped
a bank and removed his car’s rear spoiler. Next
to fall foul of the slippery conditions was Barry, who
demolished the rear of his car – luckily without
sustaining any mechanical damage.
Harraway was another
who succumbed to the perils of stage seven, spoiling a
chance of a good result when he got stuck in a ditch,
lost nearly six minutes and then had to continue with
bent suspension.
However, for Sigurdarson
his promising start suddenly turned into a dramatic finish
on SS8, when his car stepped out of line on a fast and
bumpy narrow section of road, impact with a tree sending
his car into a series of spins and rolls between the solid
Manx banks. With his Evo IX in ruins, both he and his
co-driver Isak Gudjonsson were taken to the local hospital
for a check-up, where thankfully both were discharged
later that day with nothing worse than bruises and a suspected
fracture in Sigurdarson’s hand.
At the first service
halt of the day, the scoreboard showed Catchcart now leading
by 38 seconds, with Cronin 31 ahead of McCance. Plagued
by a season of bad luck so far, David Meredith had no
choice but to retire at this point, when his car’s
clutch stopped working due to a sheared hydraulic coupling.
With roads drying out
and teams now getting to grips with suspension settings,
speeds for Saturday’s second batch of three stages
continued to rise. But the improved conditions didn’t
seem to help Bogie, who clipped a bank on stage 10, which
flipped his car onto its roof and, although continuing,
the consequent delay caused him to exceed his maximum
lateness.
Johnston reported a
lucky escape on SS11, when contact with a kerb caused
a wheel to remove itself from the car and disappear over
the side of a cliff, a swift change in the stage allowing
him to make it back to the second service halt.
With just three stages
left to go, Cathcart’s lead in the Evolution Challenge
looked unassailable, but when he unknowingly clipped something
at the side of the road in SS13 and punctured the nearside
front wheel, his chances of a dominant victory rapidly
dropped away. Then, with further damage sustained to the
front hub and surrounding components before the end of
the stage, it was Cronin who arrived in Douglas ahead
of the Evo Challenge field. After an agonising wait, it
was revealed that Cathcart’s 11th hour problems
had caused him to exceed his maximum lateness and was
therefore un-classified in the results, a bitter blow
to what was an outstanding display of driving.
His retirement elevated
McCance to second, whilst Barry not only had to overcome
his SS7 dramas, but also managed to climb back up to third
– even after having to replace the bolts in his
car’s propshaft between the stages – the fight
to the finish enabling him to retain his championship
lead.
His strategy for keeping
out of trouble saw a solid drive from Jonny Greer reward
him with fourth place and his first haul of Evo Challenge
points this season. Having adopted a similar stance, Elsmore
finished fifth and was pleased to complete the event unscathed,
following his well-publicised accident in 2007.
For Jonathan Sparks
there was a final sting in the tail, when a certain points
finish was denied after transmission troubles brought
his rally to a standstill on the very last stage.
At the finish a delighted
Keith Cronin said: “It’s great to take my
first Evolution Challenge win. This weekend was a case
of learning the car on tarmac and building up the speed
as the rally went on. We just kept plugging away and had
almost accepted we were going to finish second, but in
rallying, it’s not over until it’s over and,
although I feel for Richard (Cathcart), this result has
really made a difference to our championship hopes.”
Evo Challenge competitors
now have just three weeks to prepare for round four, the
Severn Valley National Rally on 31st May, when the championship
switches back to a gravel surface and the forests of mid-Wales
- and, with a different winner on each of the three rounds
so far, the title chase is still wide open.
The 2008 Mitsubishi
Ralliart Evolution Challenge is backed by Mitsubishi Motors
UK and Ralliart, with support from its associate sponsors:
Pirelli tyres, Speedline Corse wheels, Sparco racewear,
Performance Friction Brakes, Sunoco Race Fuels, ADR Motorsport,
Walkinshaw Performance and PIAA lights, who sponsor the
junior award for under 25 year old drivers.
Mitsubishi
Ralliart Evolution Challenge - Round Three Results
1 Keith Cronin (Cork)/Greg
Shinnors (Limerick) 1:45:11.6
2 Neil McCance (Comber)/Graham
Hopewell (Worcester) 1:45:58.9
3 Daniel Barry (Enniskerry)/Mark
Bowens (Cork) 1:47:36.7
4 Jonathan Greer (Carryduff)/Jonny
Hart (Moneyrea) 1:47:55.8
5 Nik Elsmore (Coleford)/Paul
Wakeley (Llanelli) 1:49:05.7
6 Miles Johnston (York)/Louise
Sutherland (Hawick) 1:56:05.3
7 Simon Harraway (Weston-super-Mare)/Craig
Drew (Bream) 2:02:36.3
Retirements
SS8 Daniel Siguardarson
(Iceland)/Isak Gudjonsson (Iceland) - Accident
SS9 David Meredith
(Dolgellau)/Dai Roberts (Carmarthen) - Clutch
SS10 David Bogie (Dumfries)/Kevin
Rae (Hawick) – Accident/OTL
SS13 Richard Cathcart
(Enniskillen)/Martin Brady (Navan) - Puncture/OTL
SS14 Jonathan Sparks
(Glastonbury)/Chris Davies (Abergavenny) - Driveshaft
Championship
Positions after round three
Drivers
1 Daniel Barry 28
2 Neil McCance 23
3 Nik Elsmore 20
4 Richard Cathcart
18
5 Keith Cronin 16
6 David Bogie 15
7 Seb Ling 8
8 Miles Johnston 8
9 Jonny Greer 7
10 Jonathan Sparks
6
11 Daniel Sigurdarson
6
12 David Meredith 5
13 Simon Harraway 4
Co-drivers
1 Mark Bowens 28
2 Paul Wakely 20
3 Martin Brady 18
4 Kevin Rae 15
5 Graham Hopewell 15
6 Anthony O’Connail
12
7 Greg Shinnors 12
8 Aled Rees 8
9 Jonny Hart 7
10 Chris Davies 6
11 Isak Gudjonsson
6
12 David Roberts 5
13 Craig Drew 5
14 Ian Bevan 3
ENDS
Photo
Caption
Keith Cronin and co-driver Greg Shinnors recorded their
first victory in the Mitsubishi Ralliart Evolution Challenge
this weekend, when they won round three of the series
on last weekend’s RBSI Manx Rally. After holding
second place for the majority of the event, they took
the lead on the very last stage when Richard Cathcart/Martin
Brady were delayed by a puncture and mechanical damage
(copyright free image).
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Mitsubishi Ralliart
Evolution Challenge – Round Three Report
