Jack among leading contenders at two-day Mach 1 Stages

Castletown driver Jack Ryan will be aiming to get his Junior 1000 Ecosse challenge back on track this weekend in the Mach 1 Stages at Machrihanish airbase, near Campbeltown.

Jack and his navigator Robin Nicolson had to settle for third place in last month's Summer Stages Junior Rally at Crail, the third round of the annual championship for drivers aged 14-17.

Winners at Kames Motorsport Complex in May, Jack and Robin have stood on the podium at every round in 2023. After some engine problems towards the end of round three, the Volkswagen Up will have been refreshed before the two-day Mach 1 and should be back to its best.

Rian Walker and Stuart McBride (Citigo) have taken a win down south but have yet to stand on the top step of the podium in Scotland this year.

Two-time winners in 2023, Oliver Phillips and Barry Young go into this round in the lead for the championship. The wide-open spaces of Machrihanish are similar in nature to the two venues where they have come out on top already, which could bode well for the Citigo duo.

Behind the leading three, a couple of crews have begun pushing themselves into contention. Thomas Milne and Neil Jeffrey have been flying in their venerable Nissan Micra, helped by a change of front suspension at the start of the year.

Ruan Lowry and Ian McRae switched to a Citigo at the start of the season and have been building their pace with every round.

The two-day format of Mach 1 (July 8/9) means there are two points-scoring opportunities for the crews.

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