Kev Monaghan and Chris Purvis will cross the Irish sea next week, heading for the famous IMGold Manx National Rally on the Isle of Man, the second round of the REIS MSA Asphalt Rally Championship (8th March).
The Pirtek Maxi Rally Team got their season off to a solid start on the Tour of Epynt in March, driving their iconic Ford Escort F2 Maxi and with an event under their belts the Northumberland duo are keen to make championship progress on the Isle of Man.
“The Tour of Epynt was a learning curve for both Chris and I as it was the first time on a closed road type event with the Escort. We were hampered by an intermittent intercom failure but we have invested heavily in new Stilo equipment; including helmets, a WRC spec intercom and headsets. Our time in the car was positive but we need to find the limits a bit quicker so we can set more competitive times. The car as a whole was impeccable with no mechanical problems, which is what you need to compete in a championship of this level,” said Monaghan, who is excited to take his iconic Escort Maxi to one of the spiritual homes of British tarmac rallying.
“Chris hasn’t competed on Isle of Man for nearly 15 years and I’ve only been there once [in 2012], so we will be working hard on our pace notes to keep the car on the road. It really is the stuff of dreams to be competing in an Escort Maxi on the Isle of Man. It’s so exciting, I have to pinch myself at times thinking back to when I started in a Peugeot 309 GTI on Otterburn over 20 years ago, to where we are today. Our aim for the event is quite simple, to gain setup information and improve times as the day goes on. The Manx offers the most challenging roads over two days and our service team of Garry Salmon, Neil Thompson and Kenny Barbour will be busy with chase car and servicing duty. We just can’t wait to get started,” he continued.
The 2015 running of the Manx National Rally is the 35th Anniversary of the famous event, for which servicing will take place behind in famous TT Grandstand.
The Pirtek Maxi Rally Team is proudly sponsored by Pirtek, Millennium Coupling Company, GB Lubricants and F&R Belbin Engineering. The team also welcomes additional support for the Manx event from Jobling Purser Ltd.
MSA Asphalt Rally Championship calendar:
Tour of Epynt- 8th March
Manx National Rally- 8th/9th May
ADMC Stages- 5th April
Tyneside Stages- 2nd August
Mewla Rally- 30th August
Cheviot Keith Knox Stages- 4TH October
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