Some 76 crews will be tackling the Jersey Motor Cycle and Light Car Club’s annual event tomorrow and Saturday – one of the few rallies left in the UK that is still run entirely on public roads.
The Island’s narrow and twisty lanes, often edged with granite walls, will, as ever, prove to be a tough challenge, with the stages this year predominantly in the eastern parishes.
The event is the final round of the FUCHS Lubricants Historic Tarmac RAC Rally Championship and will, also for the first time, have predesignated spectator viewing areas, allowing motorsport fans to safely catch the very best of the action.
Mauger, with Mark Regan in the navigator’s seat, has the top seeding. They are running a Citroen DS3 RS and Mauger will be hoping to retain the crown. If conditions favour the Citroen then it is hard to see him not achieving this.
Second seed is the Jersey crew of Steve Leonard and Sion Humphries in their Escort Mk2. They have won the title twice before and will push Mauger all the way. With their local knowledge and outright speed they have the form to lead and win the event for a third time.
Third seed is UK crew of Chris West and Robbie Hannah in a Peugeot 206 Maxi. An experienced and quick team, they have the form to win if things go their way.
Fourth seed is last year’s runner-up and top-placed Jersey crew, Ross Le Noa and Dominic Volante in their Escort M2. They were chasing down Mauger in the final stages of the 2016 event and, had there been a couple more stages, could easily have run out as winners. Always very quick, they, too, have the form to win.
Next-highest seeded local crew are Jeremy Baudains and James Ollivro in another Escort. Baudains has won the event in the past and this crew have come second on a number of occasions, so certainly have the pedigree to go a stage further.
Three other local crews are also in with a strong chance of winning: Fourth placed in 2016, No 8 seeds Darryl Morris and Steve Gully, also in a Escort Mk 2, must be in with a shout; as are No 9 seeds Rob De St Paer and Steve Hobbs (Escort Mk 2); and 11th seeded Ron Allen and Derek Le Bailly, again running Escort Mk 2.
Watch out, too, for Jerseyman Ed Fossey and Chris Sharpe-Simkiss in their Toyota Yaris, fresh from winning the UK 14000 BTRDA Rally championship. They should be well up the running order on current form and pushing hard to win their class
The top runners in the Historic Tarmac RAC Rally Championship are taking part in the Jersey Rally, which now forms a round of their championship. This year’s champions, Dessie Nutt and Geraldine McBride, are running in their Porsche 911. They have now sewn-up the title, with their nearest rival, Roger Moran, not competing in this final round. They will, however, still be keen to finish the year with a morale-boosting win.
They will be pushed extremely hard by the crew of Lyndon Barton and Simon Hunter in their BMW 1M. Barton and Hunter are lying third in the championship and will be hoping to take maximum points to secure the runners up spot.
All of the entrants can be seen in-between stages at this year’s rally base, the RJ&HS Showground, which is also the location of the official finish of the event.
There are a number of displays and stands to keep all the family busy in-between stages. Entrance is free.
Full details of the stages, spectator areas and a full entry list, as well as up-to-the minute results during the event can be found on www.jerseyrally.com.
