DOWN THE PUB
Age: 54 Lives: Mold, N Wales Isle of Man contender
He’s a contender for the Isle of Man historic “I did my first event there in about 1982 or 1983 and I think I’ve done an event there every year since. I got involved in the 1990s when John Skinner was clerk of the course of the national event. He wanted competitor input and I was deputy clerk of the course for five years after that.”
It is his favourite rally “I think it’s a great place to go rallying and it’s the event I always look forward to. If I had a choice of two events a year, it would be the Isle of Man and the Roger Albert Clark. I build my season around the Isle of Man and it’s the first event to go on the calendar. I’m very excited about it.”
He retired late in 2015 “We used the new car, the BDG-engined Escort Mk2 for the first time last year. We won the first part of the BHRC double-header after a big battle with Meirion Evans. Unfortunately, I managed to rip the Panhard rod tower out of it and it had broken again for the last stage. We were 37s up on Will Onions going into the last stage and he passed us with the propshaft rolling down the road. That was four and a half miles from the finish. The year before, we put the Escort Pinto on its roof about a mile from the finish. I’ve not finished the Isle of Man for the last two years, so I’ve got to put that right this year.”
He has a new co-driver “I’ve never done the Sloc stage before and I’ve got a new navigator this year in Richard Skinner, who lives on the island. We’ve not done an event together, but he’s done a lot of rallies there. He’s doing the recce with Mark Higgins because Mark’s co-driver can’t be there.”
Today is pace note day “We’ll do one of two runs through the stages today and tomorrow and there are always things you change in the notes. The roads do change and a bump will appear and I know there has been some resurfacing done recently.”
He’s tipping Ryan Barrett “There are lots of quick people in the historics and I think Ryan Barrett will be the one to beat. His brother Paul will be quick but I’m not sure if the Pinto will quite have the power.”