ISLE OF MAN DECIDER FOR ASPHALT RALLY TITLE
Chris Kelly Memorial Rally to determine the 2022 champion
The Asphalt Rally Championship will be decided on the Isle of Man this weekend in a showdown between at least three drivers.
The Chris Kelly Memorial Rally on the islands closed roads will be the sixth and final round of this year’s championship following the cancellation of the Three
Shires Stages. Although there was a possibility of a new date for the Three Shires after it was postponed due to the Queen’s death, the organisers have now confirmed that it will not run in 2022.
As a result, the Asphalt Championship will be decided on the best four scores from six events and Steve Wood (Ford Fiesta WRC), John Stone (VW Polo R5) and Mark Kelly (Skoda Fabia R5) are all in contention.
However, should BRC contenders James Williams or Ruairi Bell place a late entry for the Chris Kelly event, they could also take the overall title. A toptwo result for either Williams or Bell would be enough, but at the time of writing neither is entered for the round.
Mark Kelly can only win the title if he is the top scorer in the showdown and Wood finishes third or lower. Mark Kelly could then take the title on a tie-break. Stone also needs to be top scorer to overhaul Wood. So it is Aberystwyth-based Wood who goes into the final round in the best position.
Championship manager Paul Morris said: “The Chris Kelly Rally will be the final decider. I’m disappointed that my local rally, the Three Shires, is not running but I recognise the level of the work involved and the difficulty of rearranging the date for a closed-road event.”