Rallying together to prove doubters wrong

Saturday sees 25 crews, including 10 local driver-navigator combinations, racing against the clock over 16 short stages in four western parishes – and the man behind the event believes there could even be a Guernsey winner.

Not satisfied with pulling off his 2017 motorsport masterstroke – the Imperial hillclimb – Karl Marshall, president of the Guernsey Kart & Motor Club, says he pushed for Guernsey’s first rally in an attempt to emulate the highly-successful annual Jersey event.

Now, with the clock ticking down to 24 hours and descending, Marshall is praying all the weeks of hard work and preparation pays off.

‘It was my silly idea and it’s been a lot of work, but I knew that,’ he said. ‘It’s one of those things I fancied we could do, but got told we’d never be able to do it.’

The doubters – and there were many – told him Guernsey was too small and there would be too many hurdles to overcome.

‘To do a road rally and try to get the miles, you need to do it without going past residents’ houses – quite a challenge.

‘But in 16 miles I think we go past just five houses, which I think is a good effort.’

Several of the island’s most experienced rally drivers have worked with Marshall to come up with the course which, short and long term, they hope will lead to more bigger and better events.

‘Obviously it was a group of us, including Karl Robert and his brother, Craig, myself and a few others – we looked at various areas and then worked on what would and would not be feasible.

‘These were stages picked mainly because they didn’t impact on residences,’ added Marshall, believing they have come up with a good all-round test.

‘I think we have got a brilliant mix. There is the St Peter’s stage which is going to be tight and twisty; the Forest stage has got a bit of speed in it; and Les Norgiots, that’s tricky, especially at night. It will be cold, it will be greasy and could be wet. It’s a good mix.

‘It’s not going to be who’s got the fastest car, it is going to be won on all-round ability.’

• More in Thursday's Guernsey Press.

• Anyone wanting an official Resolution IT event programme should collect it from the premises of HR Air at the Airport on Friday evening between 7 and 10pm.

• See the stage layouts in Friday's edition of the Guernsey Press.