For the first time since 2022, the Isle of Man will host two special stage rallies this year following confirmation that the Chris Kelly Memorial Rally will run on Saturday, October 4.

Following on from April’s Manx Rally, organisers Manx Autosport has worked hard to bring a second event back to the calendar and is planning a compact one-day rally offering 54 stage miles for an entry fee of £450 for entries placed by August 23, or £499 for entries placed after August 23.

The Chris Kelly Memorial Rally will offer eight special stages with a focus on some of the classic Manx closed roads in the centre of the island around Brandywell, with central service at Jurby Airfield.

Documentation and scrutineering will take place at the TT Grandstand on Friday, October 3, before the rally base moves to Jurby for Saturday.

The eight closed-road special stages, all of around seven miles, will make for a challenging one-day rally for a maximum field of 60 cars.

With half of the entry likely to be made up of Isle of Man crews, the organisers are keen to attract competitors from adjacent islands as well.

Manx Autosport’s Mark Ellison said: ‘We have the permit from Motorsport UK so we are all systems go.

‘We wanted to run a second event and this format has come together very well.

‘Our plan now is to return to having two closed road rallies on the island each year.’

Event regulations are due on-line imminently and entries are now open.

The competitive action will start at around 9am, with the first car due back at the finish at around 4.30pm. There will be service after each pair of stages.