by Geoff Mayes
2008 sees the United Kingdom's premier division of motor rallying reach its fiftieth anniversary and judging by the pre-season registrations the championship shows no signs of losing its quality, with a number of former champions, some of the top competitors from the world circuit and a number of new cars and faces already registered for an exciting new year.
2007 will be known as the year that Guy Wilks, campaigning a four-wheel drive for the first time, knocked triple champion Mark Higgins off the throne with five dominant wins over the course of the seven-round championship.
Indeed, had it not been for mechanical failure on the Ulster Rally and a rare driver error on the
Jim Clark, Wilks, a former JWRC winner, might have made it seven out of seven for the pace shown by the 'works' Mitsubishi's was leagues ahead of the private Subaru of Manxman Higgins.
2008 sees the dawn of a new beginning…
Last year David Higgins began the season in a South African built Toyota Super 2000 but development work on the car was stilted and the programme fell away. However the new season sees British based development company MSD enter a works MG Super 2000 Sport for highly rated youngster Stuart Jones, whilst Mark Higgins has entered the season opener in the privately run sister car as well.
A brace of top three times in the hands of 23 year-old Jones on Wales Rally GB at the end of 2007 showed that this car has the pace, and with a testing programme in place they could be a thorn in the side of the 'works' Mitsubishis.
The Mitsubishi team have retained the services of Guy Wilks for a second year and 2007 Mitsubishi Evo Challenge champion Phillip Morrow takes over the second car. Having contested a selection of the BRC rounds for the past two years the young Irishman knows the rallies, and with two BRC podium positions already to his name, his pace is certainly not in any doubt.
