by Geoff Mayes
In 2007 Mark Higgins won the Ulster Rally after championship rival Guy Wilks suffered mechanical gremlins, but this year Higgins, a multiple national champion, seems to have the upper hand, both mentally and mechanically as he won as he pleased, whilst Wilks recovered from a self inflicted off to take the runner up spot for the second rally in a row.
The 2008 Todd’s Leap Ulster Rally will be remembered for a long time, more for the politics surrounding the event rather than the slick and smooth running of the actual rally. First there was the sensational firing of local rallying hero Phillip Morrow by the works Mitsubishi team immediately after the Rally Isle of Man. The team then went and signed former champion Gwyndaf Evans to fill the vacant seat in the second Evo 9 alongside reigning champ Wilks. The Atlas TEG sport team, who run Mark Higgins, saw an opportunity and quickly signed the talented Morrow to drive a third car for the team. This was then to turn out to be an incredible stroke of good luck as the team’s young gun, Wyn Humphries, who briefly led the championship in 2007, had the misfortune of having his car stolen on the morning of the rally!
All this and the rally had not even begun yet! When the 2008 Todd’s Leap Ulster Rally final got under way at 3pm on Friday afternoon it looked set to be one of the most competitive rallies for a while. Revelling in the dry conditions Wilks opened his account with the fastest time through the opening stage. But Higgins was less than a second further back. Despite not competing since last years Wales Rally GB Gwyndaf Evans was happy to be third fastest, just over half a second faster than his former team mate Stuart Jones.
