China round four: The Kaiyang Rally

Just two weeks after Rally Isle of Man, TQ driver David Higgins and co-driver Ieuan Thomas are on the road to China again.

The TQ-backed team will be attempting to take their fourth win in a row on the Chinese Rally Championship as they enter the Kaiyang Rally in their WY rally team Mitsubishi Lancer Evo9.

“We’ve only done the Kaiyang once before,” says David. “Last year we ran first on the road and a spectator ran across in front of us. The road has drops on either side into fields so we dropped two wheels off and punctured.

“On the second day we were quickest on every stage but the gearbox went so we did not get to finish the rally. This year we’ll be aiming to keep up our record of winning every round so far. The main concern is that the stages are quite abrasive on the tyres because they’re either extremely fast or extremely twisty.”

The team leave Britain today (Tuesday) to prepare for the recce ahead of the rally on 4th to 6th August. The rally begins with a spectator stage on Saturday.

So far this year David and Ieuan have won the Shanghai Rally, the Huairou Rally and the Liupanshui Rally in China which puts their WY rally team firmly at the top of the points table.

Mixed emotions on the Manx

It was three days of mixed emotions for the TQ RED crew of David Higgins and Ieuan Thomas on Rally Isle of Man last weekend.

The crew showed exactly what they were capable of when things fall into place by setting three fastest stage times in the British Rally Championship section of the event. One was second fastest overall behind Andreas Mikkelsen in his Ford Focus WRC, and the other two were third fastest overall behind Andreas and Eugene Donnelly in his Subaru Impreza WRC.

“When things worked well we showed the real promise the car has,” says David. “But we need to continue working on developing that promise. We had a problem with the car where it was pulling to the right when we accelerated on slicks, so we could only run on inters which were not the right tyre choice for most stages.”

The crew also suffered from overheating problems during the rally which resulted in them having to top the car up with water after every stage. David and Ieuan handled the problem well, but the car finally cried enough as it returned to service after stage 19.

With only three stages to go, they were forced to finish the rally under superally regulations. David picked up three championship points.

“When we had to retire we were set to pick up third placed points in the BRC,” says David. “After the problems we had that would have been fantastic, especially after our second place finish on the Jim Clark. The team are now planning a two-day test ahead of the Ulster Rally in September.”

It was a better weekend for David’s TQ RED team mate Hugh Evans. Hugh and his co-driver Iestyn Williams finished ninth in the British Rally Championship points. It is a fantastic achievement for Evans who was contesting the notoriously challenging event for the first time.

David and Ieuan will now switch back to the Mitsubishi Lancer Evo9 they use in the Chinese Rally Championship as they prepare for the Kaiyang Rally on 4th/5th August. The WY rally team they drive for leads the teams championship thanks to David and Ieuan winning all three rounds of the championship so far.

Rally Isle of Man update: final positions

After suffering from an overheating engine in the TQ RED S2000R, David and Ieuan were forced out of the rally to run under superally rules when they returned to service after stage 19 of 22.

They finished 29th overall and picked up three championship points to leave David eighth overall in the drivers championship, and Ieuan seventh equal in the co-drivers championship.

Their TQ RED team mates Hugh Evans and Iestyn Williams finished 19th overall and took their first top ten finish in the British Rally Championship points. The result moves Hugh up to 11th in the drivers championship.

Full details to follow tomorrow....

Rally Isle of Man update: end of leg two

After a difficult start to the day, David and Ieuan have made their way up to sixth overall, and third in the British Rally Championship points on Rally Isle of Man.

The car was still handling badly this morning, but the TQ RED team made changes to improve it throughout the day - and it really showed in the stage times.

In stage 10 (Little London 2) David brought the Toyota S2000R home second fastest behind the Ford Focus WRC of Andreas Mikkelsen, and in stages 11 (St Judes 2) and 12 (Lough Dhoo) he was third fastest behind Andreas and Irish champion Eugene Donnelly in his Subaru Impreza WRC.

More news after the final leg tomorrow....

To keep up to date with stage results during the day, visit www.rallyisleofman.co.im

Photo: neilburgess.com

Rally Isle of Man update: end of leg one

David and Ieuan lie ninth overall, and fourth in the British Rally Championship points, at the end of the first day of Rally Isle of Man.

After four stages David says, "The car feels a bit nervous. It locked up and stalled in the first stage through Castletown."

The stall left David 41st, but once the rally moved into the longer, more demanding Ballanank stage he sped up to ninth and held that position through the final two Castletown runs.

More news tomorrow night....

To keep an eye on results during the day visit rallyisleofman.co.im

Photo: neilburgess.com

Three in a row for Higgins and Thomas

David Higgins and Ieuan Thomas have taken their third consecutive victory in the Chinese rally championship by winning the Liupanshui Rally in China today.

The TQ backed duo enjoyed a thrilling battle with fellow Manxman Martin Rowe throughout the event in their WY rally team Mitsubishi Lancer Evo9.

“What a battle,” said David. “We had a few problems on the first leg and finished the day 4.3 seconds behind Martin. But things went better on the second leg and after eight stages Martin and I were tied on exactly the same time. We were fastest on the final two stages to win by two seconds.”

There was no time for celebration however, as David and Ieuan now have to race back from China in time to continue their British Rally Championship bid in the TQ RED Toyota S2000R on Rally Isle of Man this weekend. They are seeded at number nine.

“It’s going to be manic, but it’s one of my favourite events because it’s always great to rally back home on the island where there are lots of family and friends around,” said David. “People expect me to know the stages well because I was born on the island, but I only did two rallies on the island when we lived there so it’s the round of the BRC I probably have least experience of. I’ve done well there in the past though and the car is performing well.”

David has spent two days testing the car on asphalt since the last round of the BRC, the Jim Clark International Rally. He will be aiming to build on the success he had there when he finished second in the BRC points.

The points haul moved David up to fourth overall in the BRC drivers championship, and left the TQ RED team second equal with Mitsubishi in the team’s championship. His team-mate Hugh Evans will join him on the island in his Mitsubishi Lancer Evo9, running as car number 45.

The rally is a family affair for David - as well as competing against his brother Mark on Rally Isle of Man, David’s parents Tony and Christina and his cousin Andy Leece are on the entry list for the national section of the event.

Liupanshui Rally update: The final score

David and Ieuan have won the Liupanshui Rally to take their third consecutive win in the Chinese rally championship.

Full details to follow later today...

Liupanshui Rally update: End of leg one

At the end of the first leg of the Liupanshui Rally in China, David Higgins and Ieuan Thomas lie second overall in the WY rally team Mitsubishi Lancer Evo9.

After six closely fought stages, they are only 4.3 seconds behind fellow Manxman Martin Rowe.

There are four more stages tomorrow. Then it's a quick exit for David and Ieuan so they can make it back for Rally Isle of Man to continue their British Rally Championship title bid next weekend.

More news tomorrow...

Back to gravel

David Higgins is aiming to make it three in a row when he travels back to China this week for the latest round of the Chinese rally championship.

Having won the opening two rounds, the Shanghai Rally and the Huairou Rally in the WY rally team’s Mitsubishi Lancer Evo9, Higgins and co-driver Ieuan Thomas will contest the Liupanshui Rally on 14th/15th July.

"This is our third time on the Liupanshui Rally," says David. "We won in 2004 and last year we were leading the event when we had problems with the engine overheating. The stages are twisty technical ones which I like so I'm looking forward to it."

The TQ-backed crew's priority for the year is their attack on the British Rally Championship in the TQ RED Toyota S2000R. The last rounds of both the BRC and the Chinese Rally Championship were on asphalt.

"This will be our first rally on gravel for a while," says David. "We'll have a gravel test when we get to China, but it would have been a bonus to be on asphalt because we will be going straight from China to more asphalt stages on Rally Isle of Man. One concern on this Chinese event is actually the high altitude the rally takes place in. You find the engine feels sluggish under those conditions, but it will be the same for everyone."

The Liupanshui Rally takes place in the Guizhou province of China. It's only three weeks since David and Ieuan returned from their last Chinese event.

"It's been a busy time for myself and Ieuan," says David. "But our partnership is working really well. Without Ieuan's help with travel and organisation it would be impossible for me to contest so many events around the world this year."

To keep up to date with David’s progress during the rally keep an eye on the website.

Out of the car, off his bike and onto the web

David Higgins has successfully completed a 120 mile cycle for charity.

The TQ driver swapped his TQ RED Toyota S2000R rally car for a bicycle today to compete in the British Cyclosportive, an event which uses the same 120 mile route which will be used as the first leg of the Tour de France next week.

"I did the event to raise money for the Air Ambulance and for our local school Ysgol Dyffryn Trannon Trefeglwys," said David. "I cycle a lot to keep my fitness levels up for rallying so it raised money and kept me fit at the same time.

"We cycled from Greenwich to Canterbury, and there were over 5000 riders taking part. Very different from rallying. Thanks to everyone who has given me a donation so far."

Anyone who has not made a donation still has a week to do so. David will be putting the names of everyone who makes a donation into a prize draw and three winners will be chosen to sit alongside David in the TQ RED S2000R on a shakedown stage later this year.

Cheques should be made payable to 'DH Charity Bike Ride' and sent to David at the Forest Rally Experience, Cambrian House, Carno, Powys, SY17 5LU.

David has also launched a new website this week where people can find out more about David and the team and sign up for news updates. The new site can be found at www.davidhigginsrally.com