Round two of the Tesco 99 Octane MSA British Rally Championship takes place this weekend, when the Jim Clark Rally sees the Mitsubishi Motors UK Rally Team back in action for the first asphalt event of the season.

Following a resounding victory last month in round one, the Kielder Forest-based Pirelli Rally, Guy Wilks is looking forward to the change of surface and feels that after being caught out on treacherously slippery wet roads last year, he now has a score to settle:

“After what happened last year I have some unfinished business to attend to. We were holding a comfortable lead before the rain, so I know that the pace is there – especially after our test last week. I’m very pleased with the set up we have and, with a trouble free run, I believe we can take our second win of the season.”

As this is Phillip Morrow’s first year with the Mitsubishi team, the Jim Clark Rally will be his first tarmac event in the works Lancer Evolution IX. Morrow is also upbeat about the prospect of a good result following the recent day of testing:

“It was great working with the team during the test and I came away happy with the way the car was performing. I learnt a great deal on the Pirelli Rally, so I intend to build on that experience and, after finishing one place away from the podium, I hope I can get into the top three this time round.”

Ralliart General Manager and the Mitsubishi UK Motorsport boss Paul Brigden, is pleased with the way things have gone so far this season, following a win and a fourth place on the Pirelli Rally and both a successful gravel and asphalt test:

“So far this year the performance of our cars has lived up to our expectations and I’m very pleased that the drivers are reporting they feel confident driving them. At the test we were able to optimise the settings for next weekend’s event and I’m looking forward to seeing how both the cars and drivers perform on tarmac.”

The Jim Clark International Rally begins in Kelso with a ceremonial start on Friday evening followed by two runs of a shake-down stage. The competition gets underway on Saturday with 11 stages before the overnight halt, followed by a further six on Sunday, the sum of which provides a competitive distance of 160 miles.

Both drivers are to be guided around the Berwickshire lanes by their regular co-drivers, Wilks accompanied by Phil Pugh and Morrow by Daniel Barritt.

The two works Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IXs are built by Chesterfield-based ADR Motorsport, who also provide the all-important on-event technical support.