It’s Wales versus England in this weekend’s PokersStars Rally, with plenty of Isle of Man thrown in for good measure, writes Chris Boyde.

Spencer Sport driver Jamie Jukes finally broke his Manx duck on the event in 2018 and will lead the field into action Friday tea-time from the TT Grandstand attempting to go back-to-back.

He and fellow Welshman James Morgan were also runners-up on May’s Manx National Rally in their Mitsubishi Mirage and are right on top of their game, but face strong opposition.

Twice former winner Arron Newby is re-united with Kirk Michael pace-note man Rob Fagg in the familiar TEG Sport Subaru Impreza that has taken them to many successes in the island over the last seven years.

The Carnforth driver has been heavily involved in a TEG project to build and develop a Skoda-based rally car using Subaru running gear for most of this year. This has limited on-stage action but left him eager to return, albeit unsure of his ’race’ pace.

’I haven’t done a lot this year and not been in the car for five months, so basically Friday night will be settling back in, trying to use my head, and then open it up on Saturday. I can’t wait to get back over there again,’ he said, earlier this week.

The Subaru pilot, who won the event in 2013 and 2017 and has twice lifted the Manx Rally Championship title, maintains: ’It’ll be interesting to see where we can place ourselves again after being away from the island for two years.’

John Stone is certainly not short of seat-time, contesting his 14th event this year, and his 12th at the wheel of a full Ford Fiesta WRC. Stone, who finished third in the 2019 Protyre Motorsport UK Asphalt Rally Championship, has also recruited a local co-driver for the first time in Charlotte Shimmin.

The local drivers have had few events to tackle this year, but a solid finish for Stu Bainborough with Paula Swinscoe (Mitsubishi Evo VI) would be enough for the Ballasalla driver to lift a first Motor Mall Manx Rally Championship, with VW Golf co-driver-turned-driver Dale Furniss of Wales his nearest challenger. They are followed by the ever-exuberant Martyn Jones in the Vauxhall Nova.

Steve Colley and Gary Leece will both drive Mitsubishis - France-domiciled Leece desperate to overcome niggling gremlins that have so far prevented a top result since he came back to the sport early last year.

With the overall entry list significantly down on recent years because of clashing events and a developing closed roads calendar across the UK, Welsh crew Kevin Davies/Dylan Jenkins will be well worth watching. They shocked everyone to lead the event in a road rally-spec Ford Escort in horrendous conditions 12 months ago, eventually finishing third.

Amongst the other crowd-pleasing rear-wheel drive crews are reigning Manx champions Kex Walker/Dannii Matthews and George Collister with father Graham on the notes, set for another BMW battle.

After a shakedown at Barroose and Creg-ny-Baa from 10am tomorrow, Friday evening sees crews tackle seven stages across the south of the island covering 44.5 miles, with three runs over Keristal and the Old Castletown Road and two each of Ronague and St Mark’s/Eairy.

A further nine tests add 61 more miles on Saturday, three runs of a loop over Beinn-y-Phott and Druidale, followed by Peel Coast Road and Staarvey and then Sartfell to Brandywell Cottage, Injebreck and the Baldwins.

l Full report and pictures in next week’s edition.

marshals required

Several marshals’ meetings for the PokerStars Rally have taken place around the island this week.

The final signing on session for volunteer marshals takes place this evening (Thursday) at the TT Grandstand’s media centre between 5pm and 8pm.

It would be appreciated that volunteers bring with them their 2019 Motorsport UK Marshal Registration Card or a form of photographic ID.

Tonight is also the evening that radio operators and timekeepers sign on in the race office between 6 and 8pm.

The volunteers’ liaison officer can be contacted on (07624) 287178, email [email protected]