Outline details have been unveiled for the 2024 Manx Rally, one of the outstanding asphalt events on the British rallying calendar.

Building on the event’s remarkable history, this year’s Manx Rally will run for two full days on Friday and Saturday, May 10-11 covering around 130 classic stage miles on closed roads.

Rally headquarters and service will as usual be at the TT Grandstand.

With 140 places available for competitors, the organisers from Manx Auto Sport are hopeful of running a full entry, as the event is a round of both the Protyre Asphalt Rally Championship and the Fuchs British Historic Rally Championship. In addition it is part of the HRCR Stage Masters Challenge and the Mini Rally Challenge.

The Manx Rally has a glorious heritage and was first run more than 60 years ago in 1963. This year’s winner will join a stellar list of former winners that includes the likes of Colin McRae, Richard Burns, Elfyn Evans, Herni Toivonen, Ari Vatanen and Roger Clark.

The event will cover 15 special stages following a shakedown stage on Friday morning. The first loop of stages on Friday afternoon will start at lunchtime and cover around 20 competitive miles before a break for service and then a longer loop on Friday evening covering 40 stage miles including a classic 15-mile stage.

Saturday’s route features another 70 competitive miles on some of the most famous rally roads in the UK before a late afternoon finish back at the TT Grandstand in Douglas.

Last year’s rally was a very popular round of the Protyre Asphalt Rally Championship and the Manx will once again be a double-header round of Britain’s premier sealed surface championship.

The historics will also compete in a double-header with two sets of points available, one for Friday’s stages and one for Saturday’s stages.

Event director Mark Ellison said: ‘We’ve got a fabulous route and two of the best UK championships. That adds up to another epic Manx Rally over the wonderful roads on the island.

‘We’re delighted to have four excellent championships visiting us and I’d like to thank Paul Morris, Colin Heppenstall, Martin Leonard, John Goff and their teams for supporting the Manx Rally.

‘We are making sure that competitors can re-join as quickly as possible if they have a problem and we’re hoping to fill the entry. We want as many people as possible to get to the finish and enjoy the wonderful roads we have here in the island.’

Event regulations were published in February and entries are now open.

l For more details, please visit the website at manxautosport.org or email [email protected]

Paul Lawrence