2014 Pirelli Star Driver Daniel McKenna and his co-driver Arthur Kierans head to the Isle of Man this weekend to sample some of the most challenging and unique tarmac stages in the world.
Daniel and Arthur are heading to the island in the Scanbitz Mark II Ford Escort with two missions; to continue development work for Pirelli and to gain experience of the unique Manx terrain ahead of the Manx International Rally in mid September, a counting round of the British Rally Championship.
Speaking ahead of the weekend Daniel said: “It’s always nice to drive the Escort but getting experience of the Manx stages is the key this weekend. It’s a place I’ve heard so much about and I can’t wait to sample the roads myself. The weather could be difficult this weekend but that’ll make the learning experience all the better. Getting these miles in now could be of real benefit at the business end of my BRC campaign as the Manx International Rally is the penultimate round of the championship.”
Daniel’s season with Pirelli has been a fruitful one so far having netted 3 podium finishes and placing highest 2 wheel drive competitor on the Circuit of Ireland, a round of the European Rally Championship. A podium on such a specialised event as the Manx National Rally, against a very strong entry isn’t really a possibility but this isn’t a concern for the Monaghan driver. “It’s all about learning. The tyres, the car, the roads. In terms of this weekend the result is really secondary but I’d love to finish to get the most out of the experience before taking the Escort to Donegal next month.”
The action on the Manx National Rally gets underway on Friday with a shakedown stage before the crews set off at 7pm in the evening into the daunting Manx tests. The second day gets underway on Saturday morning just before 9am with the first crews arriving back at the finish ramp at 4pm. Once again the organisers have designed a compact route for ease of recce, with centralised service at the famous TT Grandstand.
Picture with thanks to MyRally.ie
