This weekends Black Horse Finance Stages Rally once again poses the question we’ve been asking for the last four years; who can halt Rob Watson’s victory run?

Well, in a superb entry of 53, the biggest in recent years, crews for the two-day Manx Auto Sport event, there are plenty prepared to give it a go.

The Kirk Michael driver has won every ‘club’ closed roads rally for since 2003, including March’s similar Jaks Bar/Porsche Centre Chester Rally. Add to that a dominant victory for him and Bruce Craig on the Star Services Trophy Rally section of Rally Isle of Man and there’s no doubt that the pair are once again the red hot favourites in the familiar Vauxhall Nova kit car.

However the rally once again has the look of last year’s event, when the opening night provided perhaps the closest rallying the island has ever witnessed. On that occasion George Collister and Janet Craine (Mitsubishi Evo 3) led Watson overnight, with Nigel Cannell (Vauxhall Corsa kit car) and Steve Quine (Vauxhall Astra) both within ten seconds.

These four drivers once again head the entry list and tonight’s (Fridays) tests are in similar country so we could once again be in for a thrilling battle.

Immediately behind there is a battalion of other Mitsubishi’s, headed by Mark Cubbon in his Evo 7. He was cruelly denied victory at Jurby in September and hopes to make amends. The first of 10 visiting crews, Dave Pattison and Andy Marchbank (Evo 6) are next and they are known to be an experienced and rapid crew.  

All this heavyweight machinery consigns Eurocars Motorsport Manx Rally Championship leaders Richard Curphey and Andrew Holmes (Vauxhall Nova) to a start number of 14. Securing points will be their main aim. Glenn Leece and Eunice Cubbon start behind as the top rear-wheel drive seed in Eunice’s glorious Mk1 Escort.

Irish legend Dessie McCartney will be one to watch, back in the familiar Porsche 911 similar to those he drove to great success in the 1970’s and 80’s. At the opposite end of the experience scale Steve Colley makes his ‘closed roads’ debut in a Vauxhall Astra.

The rally is underway from the TT Grandstand tonight at 7pm for the opening nine stages, split into three loops of three tests.  The opener crosses the Groudle Road before heading into Baldromma, the next tackles the notorious Glen Roy and finishes at Lonan Church, and the loop is completed over Dog Kennels, 5 ½ mile corner and on to Creg-ny-Baa.

Tomorrow follows a similar pattern from a 10am re-start for the final nine tests. The three stage loop starts on Marine Drive and the Old Castletown Road before heading to Grenaby, Ronague and Round Table for the next. A stage at The Gate, St Marks, Ballacorris and the Clanna Road completes the set.

All servicing on the event is at the TT Grandstand, where the leading crews are due to finish the rally at 2.45pm.

• Those reading on Thursday are reminded that scrutineering and signing-on for competitors and officials for this weekends’ Black Horse Finance Stages Rally takes place tonight. For competitors it is at Eurocars’ Peel Road premises and for officials it is the TT Grandstand. If you have a few hours to help marshal or timekeep either tomorrow night or on Saturday the organisers would be delighted to hear from you. Please either pop along to the signing-on session or Please contact Mandy Millward (marshals) on 209962 or Aine McLoughlin (timekeepers) on 260260.
   
• A reminder that any media covering the event should also sign-on at Eurocars or contact Chris Boyde on 476608.
   
• The presentation of awards for the event will take place at the Union Mills FC clubhouse on Saturday night, from around 8pm. It is free entry to all and the organisers would particularly like to invite everyone involved in organising the event, in whatever capacity.
   
• Minister of Tourism and Leisure will continue his rallying ‘apprenticeship’ on the event. Following on from a run on the shakedown stage of Rally Isle of Man in July, tomorrow he will co-drive the ‘0’ car on the final loop of three stages, after which he is set to be on hand to congratulate the winners.
   
• The rally is the penultimate round of the Eurocars Motorsport Manx Rally Championship. Richard Curphey tops the drivers standings going into the event on 98 points, with Kex Walker on 93, Martyn Jones 77, Mark Cubbon 67, George Collister 64 and Matt Bettridge 60 the rest of the top 6.
   
• Andrew Holmes heads the co-drivers on 98 points, just three ahead of Danni Matthews. Leigh Jones has 79, with Janet Craine 63, Tom Babbs 57 and Nigel Morris and Kris Campbell tied on 48.