The Revolution Wheels Rally Team has confirmed that Karl Simmons will miss the Rally Isle of Man next week, the third round in the 2008 Tesco 99 Octane MSA British Rally Championship.
Simmons, who finished twelfth overall on the
Jim Clark International Rally back in May, will have to sit out the three-day Manx round as he requires minor surgery on his knee. That will leave Rob Swann and James Wozencroft to fly the flag for the Revolution team.
Last year Swann shone on the Isle of Man and he only narrowly missed out on a podium place. He now returns to the island at the wheel of his new Subaru Impreza N14.
Although Swann was hampered by limited pre-event testing last time out and the ignominy of suffering two punctures on the opening stage, he was rapidly adjusting to the car and its different driving style. That was until he suffered the ignominy of rolling at high speed on the final stage when he was caught out by a fifth gear jump. The car has since been completely rebuilt though and Swann is confident that he now knows how to obtain the best from his new stead.
Wozencroft meanwhile is on a high after two impressive results on the previous two rounds, something that belies the fact that this is Wozie's first season in a four wheel drive rally car.
Speaking ahead of the third round in the BRC, team principal Warren McKiernan was positive about the future.
"We've had a mixed season so far but we're looking forward to having the N14 back. We have no doubts that the car will be as good as new and that Rob can hopefully go one better than last year and give us a podium. All the boys have learnt a lot from the Jim Clark and we will carry that forward to the next round," he summed-up.
