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A Tuthill Porsche 911 will be rallying this weekend, courtesy of Peter Lythell and Gill Cotton on the Rally Isle of Man. This three-day event kicks off with a series of exciting stages in and around Douglas this evening and continues until Saturday, with a total of twenty stages covering 163 miles around the famous motorsport paradise.
Nine stages are more than 11 miles long, giving the cars and crews a fair challenge on the twisty Manx roads. Every day includes town centre stages, to bring the event to the public. Thursday consists of a lunchtime shakedown, with the first competitive stages run side-by-side along Douglas promenade. Two further stages are run on Thursday evening: a challenging high-speed run down Tholt-y-Will, with a pair of tight hairpins leading to the historic 5 Tons Bridge. A final stage over Pond Road in the north of the island will take competitors well into the night.
The Manx splits the men from the boys on Friday, with eleven stages run over a 13-hour day. For 2016, the organisers have brought back The Sloc hillclimb section: a fast test of skill, last run in 1980! The section will not have grown easier over time and should be very exciting to drive. On Friday night, the cars run through very exciting spectator stages along Castletown harbour. This section is part of a serious test of endurance for both cars and competitors, as they form part of a five-stage test run all over the island with no time for service.
Saturday is the final day but there’s no let-up in sight, as the closing stages are all more than 13 miles long. The finale is the much-loved Classic, which includes the familiar landmarks of Injebreck, Abbeylands Jump and Brandywell Cottage as it follows part of the famous TT course, for a grandstand finish at the TT podium.
This year’s Rally Isle of Man should be a fantastic weekend on an event which Peter and Gill have tackled several times before. We wish all the participants a fun, safe and reliable rally with plenty of heart-stopping moments to treasure!
