Monday, 12th May 2008

MREC Manx honours go to Keith Cronin.

With just three stages left to go, Cathcart's lead in the Evolution Challenge looked unassailable, but when he unknowingly clipped something at the side of the road in SS13 and punctured the nearside front wheel, his chances of a dominant victory rapidly dropped away. Then, with further damage sustained to the front hub and surrounding components before the end of the stage, it was Cronin who arrived in Douglas ahead of the Evo Challenge field. After an agonising wait, it was revealed that Cathcart's 11th hour problems had caused him to exceed his maximum lateness and was therefore un-classified in the results, a bitter blow to what was an outstanding display of driving.

His retirement elevated McCance to second, whilst Barry not only had to overcome his SS7 dramas, but also managed to climb back up to third - even after having to replace the bolts in his car's propshaft between the stages - the fight to the finish enabling him to retain his championship lead.

His strategy for keeping out of trouble saw a solid drive from Jonny Greer reward him with fourth place and his first haul of Evo Challenge points this season. Having adopted a similar stance, Elsmore finished fifth and was pleased to complete the event unscathed, following his well-publicised accident in 2007.

Advertisement

For Jonathan Sparks there was a final sting in the tail, when a certain points' finish was denied after transmission troubles brought his rally to a standstill on the very last stage.

At the finish a delighted Keith Cronin said: “It's great to take my first Evolution Challenge win. This weekend was a case of learning the car on tarmac and building up the speed as the rally went on. We just kept plugging away and had almost accepted we were going to finish second, but in rallying, it's not over until it's over and, although I feel for Richard [Cathcart], this result has really made a difference to our championship hopes.”

Related Images

[Top of Article]