DARLINGTON rally driver Guy Wilks is confident of scoring a hat-trick of wins in the 2004 Kwik-Fit/Pirelli British Rally Championship Super 1600 class as he prepares for the Manx International Rally.

Wilks steered the Suzuki Ignis to its second Super 1600 win and third maximum points haul of the season in the recent Jim Clark Memorial Rally, the first of three successive tar rallies on the British Championship.

And the 23-year-old is confident of producing another good performance on the Isle of Man the weekend after next

"I'm very confident in both the car and my own ability, especially after the last three British events," said Wilks. "The Jim Clark Memorial Rally was my first in the Ignis on a smooth surface and the win has given me greater confidence in the car's ability on tar.

"I've only competed on the Manx International once before, in 2002, but retired with a blown engine.

"The rally is very quick, very similar to Jim Clark, although I'm hoping for drier conditions!

"The heavy rain in and around Duns and Kelso made some of the roads treacherous on the Jim Clark so I'll keep my fingers crossed for some sunshine on the Isle of Man."

Wilks and Pugh are currently in second place in the British Super 1600 Championship, just two points behind leader Jonnie Wigmore (Ford Puma). The duo need to finish two places above Wigmore to claim the outright lead in the Super 1600 championship, something they feel more than capable of doing.

"Jonnie (Wigmore) is quick and will be very competitive in his Puma, but if we maintain a steady but quick pace during the first day, I'm confident we'll be ahead of him at the end," Wilks said.

Wilks is viewed as a rising star in British rallying having graduated from privateer ranks last season to Suzuki's fully-fledged, manufacturer-backed effort. With Britain's top rally drivers Colin McRae and Richard Burns currently sidelined, Wilks is now emerging as Britain's leading driver.

He and Pugh recently became the first Britons to win a round of the Junior World Rally Championship in the Acropolis Rally in Greece, but Wilks is wary of any comparisons to the aforementioned McRae and Burns.

"It is flattering to be compared to Burns and McRae, because they have won World Rally Championships," he said. "They are two brilliant drivers and if I could compete at the same level as them I'd be very happy, but for the moment I must prove myself in the British and JWRC Championships."

The weekend following the Manx Rally, Wilks and Pugh compete in the Finnish round of the Junior World Rally Championship hoping to add to the impressive victory in Greece and maintain a bid for the championship.

Published: 19/07/2004