MANX MAKES MAJOR CHANGES

RALLY NEWS Newclerksandcondensedeventfor2018 on Wednesday, when previously it would have been the Sunday before. They can return to Belfast on the Sunday as a point of compromise with the Northern Irish crews, who will have to travel to Dublin on the Wedn

Rally Isle of Man bosses have made a number of changes to how it is run in order to improve the event in 2018.

The event will remain a round of the British Rally Championship, British Historic Rally Championship and the FIA Celtic Trophy, with the most significant change being that only three stages will be run once as it looks to condense the route, while keeping the majority of the stage mileage.

The unpopular loops, which merge cars onto a stage together, have also been dropped as they caused issues on last year’s event as they weren’t deemed to be set-up correctly, causing delays.

Event director John Gill toldmn that the route is “95 per cent there”.

“We’ve tried to use stages more than once and to cut down on the need for recceing,” he said. “I think all but three stages are run twice. It’s around about 150 miles, we’re just doing a final measurement.

“We will launch our rally guide and more details about what’s on offer at the Autosport International Show in January.”

The event will also feature a change of start venue. The now customary Douglas Promenade super special is off as the area is being redeveloped, but instead the event will start from the TT grandstand as it did in the late 1990s.

In making the event more condensed, the crews will have less stages to recce, and Irish crews have been given a boost as they will now be able to travel from Dublin