Of the four Suzukis that will compete on the Jim Clark International Rally, the third round of the Dulux Trade MSA British Rally Championship’s Swift Sport Cup, three are either new to the series or returning after a break.
Runaway winners of the opening two rounds of the one-make series for these Rally 1 class cars are Mikko Pajunen and Janne Perälä and it is the Finnish duo that leads the field away from Duns on Friday night. Their dominance is likely to be put to the test though, as the championship moves onto asphalt for the first time, an unfamiliar surface for the twenty-five year old who only began rallying two seasons ago.
Rival driver on the opening two events David Harrison will miss the first foray onto sealed surface. But the Manxman’s co-driver John Connor will take his place alongside Chesterfield’s Richard Boot, returning after more than twelve months away from the Swift Sport Cup. More used to having his wife alongside, it will be a plunge into the unknown for Boot, although he did contest the Jim Clark Rally in 2008 and Connor took fifth overall on his way to the BRC Challenge co-driver’s title in 2009.
Brand new to the Dulux Trade MSA British Rally Championship and the Swift Sport Cup is seventeen year-old Tom Clark. Despite having only just reached the UK’s minimum driving age, the Essex youngster has already been rallying for two full seasons in Latvia. He began aged just fourteen with Autocross experience already under his belt and with Aggie Foster alongside contested eleven events, so should be one to watch straight out of the box.
Although not registered for the championship, local driver and last year’s Suzuki winner on his home event, Gordon Nichol will be out in his Swift for a one-off appearance and will no doubt be keen to prove his pace against the flying Finns.
Whatever the outcome on the Borders lanes, the Swift Sport Cup still offers great value rallying to its competitors and great entertainment for the spectators, as these are the smallest engined cars in the Dulux Trade MSA British Rally Championship and the crews have to push hard to eke out every ounce of performance.
Despite giving away around 160 horsepower to the front-running turbocharged cars, the Swifts still face 130 miles over Friday and Saturday, all hoping to complete the route without mishaps in what is forecast to be showery conditions.

Friday 28th May
17:30 – 18:00 Autograph session, Duns Market Square (top 20 cars)
19:00 International Rally start, Duns Market Square
23:45 Final Friday service, Kelso Racecourse
Saturday 29th May
08:30 Rally restarts, Kelso Racecourse
17:09 Finish podium, Duns Market Square

A dominant display of driving on the opening round of the 2010 Swift Sport Cup means that the favourite for victory on the second round of the Dulux Trade MSA British Rally Championship, the Pirelli International Rally, must be Finnish duo Mikko Pajunen and Janne Perälä.

However David Harrison and John Connor, the only other crew contesting the Suzuki based one-make championship, had a serious wake-up call in Wales in March and will certainly not want to be caught out again on the Cumbrian event.

There are still some difficulties for the Fins to overcome before the start in Carlisle on Friday though, the dust cloud from the erupting Icelandic volcano meaning a long drive and ferry crossing, as flights into UK air space remain disrupted.

However Manxman Harrison should have no such problems crossing the Irish Sea, so he and his Midlands-based co-driver will take advantage of a relaxed recce of the stages, both having contested the event in previous years. Like Harrison, Connor has made the step up from the BRC’s support series, the BRC Challenge combined youth and experience making a successful new partnership for 2010.

Pajunen and Perälä are contesting their first season in the UK, so each event is a new experience, but judging by their pace on Bulldog Rally North Wales, the Swifts will be worth watching in the forests of Kershope and Kielder on Friday and Saturday.

PIRELLI INTERNATIONAL RALLY

The Pirelli International Rally is based entirely at the Carlisle Racecourse from where it starts at 18.30, heading out for three stages in Kershope Forest. The event re-starts at 07.00 on Saturday with three loops of three stages, before returning to Carlisle for the ceremonial finish just before 19.00.

For more information on the Dulux Trade MSA British Rally Championship’s Swift Sport Cup visit www.swiftsportcup.com