# Rally Isle of Man

Rally Isle of Man (previously the Manx International Rally and formerly the Manx Trophy Rally) is a car rally competition held in the Isle of Man. It was first held in 1963, and later became a well-known event in the British Open Rally Championship and the European Rally Championship (until 1996). In 2002, it became part of the Irish Tarmac Rally Championship in addition to the British Rally Championship. The most successful drivers in the history of the rally include the five-time winner Mark Higgins and the four-time winners Tony Pond and Russell Brookes.
This has been an annual event for many years, apart from cancellation in 2011. In early September 2018, it was announced that the 2018 event had been cancelled. Various allegations were made, blaming the cancellation on, inter alia, the rally organisers, the Department of Infrastructure and the Department for Enterprise. The event returned in 2022 as part of the FIA Celtic Rally Trophy.

## Stage locations

Rally Isle of Man is run on public roads closed for racing by the provisions of an Act of Tynwald (the parliament of the Isle of Man). The event has special timed stages that use narrow farm-lanes with high grass banks, stages over open moorland and Monaco-style 'around-the-houses' stages in Ramsey or Castletown. The exact routes vary each year, but in 2008 the longest timed special stage was the 21.46 mile Milerisk stage and the shortest included the 1.46 mile Balley Cashtal stage in Castletown and the 0.90 mile Villa Marina "super-special" stage in Douglas.

## Special stage records

Records and stage times for competition sections for the Manx International Rally and Rally Isle of Man :
| Name | Route | Year | Driver | Type | Length | Time | Average speed |
| Balley Cashtal | Castletown | 2006 | Andreas Mikkelsen | Ford Focus RS WRC 05 | 1.26 miles | 1' 17.00 | 58.90 mph |
| Castle Rushen | Castletown - Balladoole - Poyll Vaaish - Strandhall - Kentraugh Mill | 2016 | Desi Henry | Škoda Fabia R5 | 5.08 miles | 4' 19.9 | 70.36 mph |
| Classic | Ballaugh Glen – Druidale – Brandywell Cottage – Injebreck – Baldwin Valley – TT Grandstand | 2008 | Eamonn Boland | Subaru Impreza WRC S12 | 13.27 miles | 11' 30.5 | 71.16 mph |
| Cringle | Ballabeg – Round Table – Glen Rushen Mines – St. Johns | 2004 | Mark Higgins | Škoda Octavia WRC | 13.66 miles | 11' 06.2 | 74.73 mph |
| Glascoe | Dog Mills – Andreas – Jurby East – Sandygate – St. Judes | 2009 | Keith Cronin | Mitsubishi Lancer Evo | 12.47 miles | 10' 08.8 | 73.74 mph |
| Glen Roy | Begoade Road – Conrhenny – 5½ Mile Corner – Social Cottage – Baldhoon | 2007 | Andreas Mikkelsen | Ford Focus RS WRC 05 | 4.66 miles | 4' 10.7 | 66.91 mph |
| Kella | West Kella – The Curraghs – Ballaugh Cronk – Orrisdale | 2007 | Andreas Mikkelsen | Ford Focus RS WRC 05 | 11.21 miles | 9' 23.1 | 71.66 mph |
| Marine | Douglas Head – Port Soderick – Crogga – Santon | 2008 | Eamonn Boland | Subaru Impreza WRC S12 | 3.30 miles | 4' 23.8 | 66.09 mph |
| Maughold | Hibernia – Ballajora – Slieau Lewaigue | 1991 | François Chatriot | Subaru Legacy RS | 3.30 miles | 2' 50.0 | 66.33 mph |
| Newtown (Milerisk) | Santon – The Braaid – Foxdale – Loobs Road – St. Marks – The Gate | 2006 | Tapio Laukkanen | Renault Mégane Maxi | 21.38 miles | 17' 20.00 | 74.28 mph |
| Ravensdale | Druidale – Brandywell Cottage – Sartfield Hairpin – Little London | 1989 | Jimmy McRae | Ford Escort RS Cosworth | 7.14 miles | 6' 08.0 | 68.08 mph |
| Sand Quarry | German Parish: Ballagyr – (Loop Section; Lynague – Ballakaighen – Staarvey – The Kew – East Lhergydoo) – Ballagyr Lane | 2017 | Fredrik Ahlin | Škoda Fabia R5 | 13.23 miles | 10' 37.8 | 74.74 mph |
| Staarvey | German Parish: Stockfield – Lynague – Ballagyr – East Lhergydhoo – Staarvey Road – Ballakaighen | 2009 | Mark Higgins | Subaru Impreza WRX STI | 7.22 miles | 6' 12.0 | 68.97 mph |
| Tholt-e-Will | Sulby Claddaghs – Sulby Glen – Tholt-e-Will Glen | 1999 | Martin Rowe | Renault Mégane Maxi | 4.14 miles | 3' 36.3 | 68.97 mph |
| Villa Marina (Super-Special) | Douglas: Harris Promenade – Broadway – Villa Marina – Gaiety Chicane – Loch Promenade – Senna Slip Hairpin – Greensills Corner – Sefton Chicane – Villa Marina – Broadway | 2016 | Craig Breen | Citroën DS3 R5 | 0.90 miles | 1' 02.8 | 51.62 mph |
| West Baldwin | Little London – Brandywell Cottage – Injebreck – Ballaoates – Abbeylands – Cronk-ny-Mona | 1992 | Colin McRae | Subaru Legacy RS | 11.65 miles | 9' 21.0 | 74.82 mph |

## Winners

| Season | Driver | Co-driver | Car |
| 1963 | Reg McBride | Don Barrow | Allardette |
| 1964 | Dave Friswell | Keith Binns | Mini Cooper S |
| 1965 | Tony Fall | Dave Fawcett | Mini Cooper S |
| 1966 | Dennis Easthorpe | Dennis Craine | Ford Cortina GT |
| 1967 | Norman Harvey | Terry Vaux | Mini Cooper S |
| 1968 | John Huyton | Bob Corrin | Ford Cortina GT |
| 1969 | Colin Malkin | John Davenport | Hillman Imp |
| 1970 | Chris Sclater | John Davenport | Ford Escort TC |
| 1971 | Roger Clark | Henry Liddon | Ford Escort RS1600 |
| 1972 | Roger Clark | Jim Porter | Ford Escort RS1600 |
| 1973 | Adrian Boyd | John Davenport | Ford Escort RS1600 |
| 1974 | Cahal Curley | Austin Frazer | Porsche |
| 1975 | Roger Clark | Jim Porter | Ford Escort RS1800 |
| 1976 | Ari Vatanen | Peter Bryant | Ford Escort RS1800 |
| 1977 | Pentti Airikkala | Risto Virtanen | Vauxhall Chevette HSR |
| 1978 | Tony Pond | Fred Gallagher | Triumph TR7 V8 |
| 1979 | Russell Brookes | Paul White | Ford Escort RS1800 |
| 1980 | Tony Pond | Fred Gallagher | Triumph TR7 V8 |
| 1981 | Tony Pond | Mike Nicholson | Vauxhall Chevette HSR |
| 1982 | Jimmy McRae | Ian Grindrod | Opel Ascona 400 |
| 1983 | Henri Toivonen | Fred Gallagher | Opel Manta 400 |
| 1984 | Jimmy McRae | Mike Nicholson | Opel Manta 400 |
| 1985 | Russell Brookes | Mike Broad | Opel Manta 400 |
| 1986 | Tony Pond | Rob Arthur | MG Metro 6R4 |
| 1987 | Jimmy McRae | Ian Grindrod | Ford Sierra RS Cosworth |
| 1988 | Patrick Snijers | Dany Colebunders | BMW M3 |
| 1989 | Russell Brookes | Neil Wilson | Ford Sierra RS Cosworth |
| 1990 | Russell Brookes | Neil Wilson | Ford Sierra RS Cosworth |
| 1991 | Colin McRae | Derek Ringer | Subaru Legacy RS |
| 1992 | Colin McRae | Derek Ringer | Subaru Legacy RS |
| 1993 | Richard Burns | Robert Reid | Subaru Legacy RS |
| 1994 | Malcolm Wilson | Bryan Thomas | Ford Escort RS Cosworth |
| 1995 | Frank Meagher | Michael Maher | Ford Escort RS Cosworth |
| 1996 | Armin Schwarz | Denis Giraudet | Toyota Celica GT-Four ST205 |
| 1997 | Martin Rowe | Nicky Beech | Renault Mégane Maxi |
| 1998 | Martin Rowe | Derek Ringer | Renault Mégane Maxi |
| 1999 | Martin Rowe | Derek Ringer | Renault Mégane Maxi |
| 2000 | Mark Higgins | Bryan Thomas | Vauxhall Astra Kit Car |
| 2001 | Cancelled due to the United Kingdom foot-and-mouth crisis. | Cancelled due to the United Kingdom foot-and-mouth crisis. | Cancelled due to the United Kingdom foot-and-mouth crisis. |
| 2002 | Mark Higgins | Craig Thorley | Toyota Corolla WRC |
| 2003 | Jonny Milner | Nicky Beech | Toyota Corolla WRC |
| 2004 | Jonny Milner | Nicky Beech | Subaru Impreza WRC |
| 2005 | Mark Higgins | Bryan Thomas | Ford Focus RS WRC 02 |
| 2006 | Eugene Donnelly | Paul Kiely | Toyota Corolla WRC |
| 2007 | Eugene Donnelly | Paul Kiely | Subaru Impreza WRC |
| 2008 | Mark Higgins | Rory Kennedy | Subaru Impreza WRX STI |
| 2009 | Mark Higgins | Bryan Thomas | Subaru Impreza WRX STI |
| 2010 | Keith Cronin | Barry McNulty | Subaru Impreza WRX STI |
| 2011 | Cancelled | Cancelled | Cancelled |
| 2012 | Steven Quine | Richard Skinner | Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 6 |
| 2013 | Arron Newby | Rob Fagg | Subaru Impreza N11 |
| 2014 | Nigel Cannell | Michaela Cannell | Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9 |
| 2015 | Steve Colley | Andrew Cowley | Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9 |
| 2016 | Elfyn Evans | Craig Parry | Ford Fiesta R5 |
| 2017 | Keith Cronin | Mikie Galvin | Ford Fiesta R5 |
| 2018–2023 | Not held | Not held | Not held |

### Multiple winners

| Wins | Manufacturer |
| 17 | Ford |
| 9 | Subaru |
| 4 | Opel |
| 4 | Toyota |
| 3 | Mini |
| 3 | Mitsubishi |
| 3 | Vauxhall |
| 3 | Renault |
| 2 | Triumph |