As crews arrived back at the TT Grandstand at the conclusion of the first leg of the Manx National Rally, 2009 & 2010 winner Paul Bird (Ford Focus WRC) had a one-second advantage over the victor for the past two years, Melvyn Evans (Subaru Impreza WRC).
However, Bird’s car was suffering from gear selection problems and the team was attempting to have replacement parts flown in overnight.
Having been flagged away from the start by the Lieutenant Governor of the Isle of Man earlier in the evening, Evans and co-driver Mark Glennerster set fastest time on the opening stage in Glen Roy to put them into a lead which they maintained until losing seven seconds to Bird and Aled Davies on the second run through it.
The two crews, therefore, go into the second, and final, leg tomorrow morning separated by the narrowest of margins.
Defending REIS – Get Connected MSA Asphalt Rally Champion Damian Cole, with Darren Garrod reading the notes, is 3rd in his Focus WRC, with Jason Pritchard/Phil Clarke next up in their similar car.
Eurocars Motorsport Manx Rally Championship leaders Arron Newby/Rob Fagg (Subaru Impreza) are 5th while the first two-wheel drive car in the results is the Darrian T90 GTR of John Indri/Pete Johnson, no doubt pleased that the rain had held off throughout the evening.
The rally was delayed following an accident on the fifth stage, Ballure, when a competing car left the road and collided with two spectators. The emergency services were on the scene swiftly and both, who were conscious throughout, were taken to hospital for check-ups.
The second leg of the Manx National Rally features twelve more stages and the first car leaves the TT Grandstand at 8.30am in the morning.
Full results are available on www.manxautosport.org
