Jason Pritchard and Phil Clarke will bid to extend their record-breaking Manx National Rally winning streak to four consecutive years this weekend.

Last year they became the first crew to complete a hat-trick of successive victories. The reigning British Historic Rally champions will have their now annual outing in the Ford Focus WRC05.

While the MSA National Asphalt Championship is being rested this year, which in the past has brought up to 40 entries to the event including the bulk of leading contenders, the Welsh crew will still face strong competition on the two-day, 12-stage event.

Multiple national champion Damian Cole has finished runner-up on the event more time than he cares to remember and will chase an elusive victory in his Ford Fiesta WRC fresh from winning last weekend’s Dixies Challenge on Epynt in Wales, while Simon Bowen (Subaru WRC) bids to go one place better than last year.

BTRDA leaders Hugh Hunter and local co-driver Rob Fagg will use their R5 Fiesta for this change of surface, and reigning Manx champion Daniel Harper (BMW Mini) is set to start his title defence on the second round of this year’s series. Rapid Welsh driver Jamie Jukes could be one to watch, sampling the Spencer Sport Mitsubishi Mirage on its debut on the Manx stages.

Leading home driver in the 90-strong entry is Stu Bainborough (Mitsubishi Evo 6), who set fastest times on the event last year, but missed the recent Haydn Minay Memorial Stages and has been out of the car for six months.

Timmy Collins retired only a mile into that event so he will look to make amends, switching to a Group N Subaru Impreza N14.

The BMWs of George Collister, Kex Walker and Dan Colley all appear to please the spectators, as does Dave Corris in his Ford Escort WRC and Sean Kelly in an Evo IX.

However, the battle for top local is likely to feature two crews seeded a little down the order. MGP winner Andrew Dudgeon starts at 20 in an Evo 6.5, but has been in tremendous form in Ireland this year with a brace of top-12 finishes on the highly competitive national championship.

Will Heavey starts two places further back, and as the leading local driver on last year’s Rally Isle of Man also has the potential to be right there in the battle in an Evo IV.

Further down the order, Tristan Kewley, winner of last weekend’s Manx Classic, will drive a Citroen Saxo.

The opening night feature six tests covering 46 miles in the south of the island, starting with two runs of Marine Drive, before heading to Balladhoole on the outskirts of Castletown for two stages, and finishing the night with the challenge of the 13.46-mile Cringle and 15.94-mile St Mark’s looped tests in full darkness.

A further 75 miles over six more stages follow on Saturday, starting with Knocksharry at Peel and the Baldwins. Those tests complete the event after a second run over Cringle and St Mark’s. In total the event features eight stages over 11 miles long.

Time Schedule

Friday, May 5

Grandstand (first car 6.31pm); SS1 Keristal 1 (6.46pm); SS2 Marine Drive (7.06pm); SS3 Balladhoole 1 (7.27pm); SS4 Balladhoole 2 (7.44pm); SS5 Cringle 1 (8.55pm); SS6 St Mark’s 1 (9.14pm).

Saturday, May 6

Grandstand (8.31am); SS7 Knocksharry 1 (9.11am); SS8 The Baldwins 1 (9.43am); SS9 Cringle 2 (11.36am); SS10 St Mark’s 2 (11.58am); SS11 Knocksharry 2 (2.05pm); SS12 The Baldwins 2 (2.37pm).