Pritchard aims for Manx redemption

Jason Pritchard is hoping to put the heartbreak of a late retirement from last year’s Manx National Rally to bed with a strong showing at this weekend’s event.

The 29-year-old, co-driven by Phil Clarke, was leading when an electrical fault cost him over six minutes on the penultimate stage, denying him a fourth-straight victory in his Ford Focus WRC05.

Pritchard will start this year’s MSA Asphalt Rally Championship event as favourite – despite not having driven the Focus for 12 months.

“What happened last year still hurts and it makes me more determined to come back stronger this year,” said threetime British Historic Rally champion Pritchard. “I love the Manx National, it’s the one event we say we’re doing at the start of every year. We forget about the times because it’s such a pleasure to drive the stages, and when it all works and clicks the times are there. If we go into day two and we have to up our pace, then I know we can do that.”

Pritchard doesn’t actually start as car number one this year, that honour goes to fellow Welshman Hugh Hunter. He won last year’s event in a Ford Fiesta R5, and has upgraded to a Fiesta RS WRC for 2018. He used the car to finish second on his asphalt debut in the machine on the Rally Tendring and Clacton last month.

Completing a trio of Welshmen in the top three, Damian Cole is in his Fiesta RS WRC for the only regular event on the Asphalt series calendar he hasn’t won.

Dan Harper, a Manx Rally champion (Mini John Cooper Works WRC) and Peter Taylor’s Fiesta RS WRC could also fight for honours.