MSA British Rally Elite member Alastair Fisher has set his sights on maintaining third spot in the BRC drivers' standings following his recent success on the Manx, when he put his Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9 on the podium.

Fisher was delighted with his result on the International Rally Isle of Man, the fourth round in this year's MSA British Rally Championship, where he finished in P3 following a titanic battle with Adam Gould and Jonny Greer.

The Irishman was also awarded one of the prestigious Pirelli yellow jersey's following his performance there something that means he will now qualify for the end of season Pirelli Shoot-out and get a shot at winning a fully-funded drive in the BRC in 2010.

"It was a good rally for us," reflected the 20-year-old. "The car felt good from the start, and really we put a lot of work in before the rally, with the recce also. It was important to mark out all the bumps, as they can easily catch you out on such a high speed rally like the Manx.

"It was a good race with both Adam [Gould] and Jonny [Greer] and it's a pity they crashed out. We had the odd moment too, a couple of overshoots on the long stage on the first day, but generally it settled down after that.

"Overall it's been a good season so far, and we have had good runs on the Pirelli and Jim Clark rallies in the British series - and Killarney and Donegal at home - but to get the Pirelli jersey on the Manx has been the highlight so far."

This is Fisher's first season in a Group N four-wheel drive car and while he realises it is essentially a learning year, that hasn't stop him from wanting to finish the season 'best of the rest' after Mark Higgins and Keith Cronin.

"We felt the time was right to move from the Fiesta's to the Evo this season, and it's a matter of learning a bit, and picking up the pace stage by stage, which has been working," he continued.

"I admit when I got into the Evo, at first it took a while to adjust to the speed of the car, and the speed you can carry through corners, but as every stage goes I'm feeling happier and more confident.