Spencer Sport proves performance of 2017 specification Mitsubishi Mirage on Manx National
If ever there was proof that the latest R5 specification Mitsubishi Mirage is a competitive package, then the performance of the Spencer Sport cars in the Manx National Rally this weekend clearly demonstrated that fact. Having ended the first leg of the event second overall against rivals in WRC machinery, Llandysul based Jamie Jukes and co-driver Dave Williams were all set for a podium finish until they retired after an accident on the second day.
Defying the fact that it was their debut in their brand new Mirage, teammates Philip Hopkins and David Jenkins had a trouble-free run to finish a credible 9th overall.
Having undergone a programme of development since the end of last season, the R5-specification Mirage has benefitted from a series of small, but effective updates and, for the Spencer Sport team, the Manx National Rally marked the first outing for the latest version of the Mitsubishi. Driving an R5 specification car, Jamie and Dave were seeded at #9 and, when they left the start-line at the Douglas TT Grandstand on Friday evening, they were looking forward to see how competitive the car would be up against the more powerful entries around them.
Their uncertainty was soon set aside when they posted the third-fastest time overall through the first of the evening’s six stages. After a notional time was allocated when stage two was temporarily stopped, Friday’s remaining four stages saw Jamie and Dave record three third-fastest and one fifth-fastest time. Consequently, they headed back to the island’s capital for the overnight halt occupying second place.
With continued fine weather and Jamie feeling confident with the Mirage, he and Dave set off on the first of Saturday’s six stages determined to lay down a marker and consolidate their position, whilst be ready to take advantage if anything was to happen to the leader. But ironically, it was they who suffered a problem after landing awkwardly after a jump, the car spun down the road and bounced off the surrounding banks.
Whilst both crew members emerged from the incident unscathed, it was clear from the bodywork and suspension damage that the Mirage was going no further.
“It had all gone exceptionally well up until then”, explained Jamie. “Apparently it’s a jump that has caught out a lot of people in the past and now my name’s added to the list, together with Colin McRae and Ari Vatanen.”
Commenting about his car, Jamie said: “The new spec Mirage is so drivable. It’s by far the best rally car I’ve ever driven and I’m impressed it’s so competitive in R5 specification.”
After a carefully considered start, whilst they acclimatised themselves to their brand new Hopkins Motorsport liveried Mirage, Philip and David quickly gained confidence. At the halfway point on Friday evening, they had improved on their seeding by seven positions, which meant they started Saturday’s leg in 12th place.
An impressive run in the morning saw them rise as high as sixth after SS10, but after a clipping a kerb at a hairpin they opted to stay out of trouble for the remainder of the event and crossed the finishing line in Douglas that evening extremely satisfied to have finished 9th overall.
“I’m very happy with how things went this weekend”, said Philip. “The Mirage is a fantastic car to drive and it never missed a beat throughout the event. Even when we clipped the kerb quite hard, the suspension didn’t move!
“Being our first event in this car and with it in R5 specification, I didn’t think we would do so well. So to be on the pace of others in the top ten with more powerful cars was great. In fact, Jamie really showed what the car is capable of during the first half of the event.”
As it transpired, R5 specification cars did exceptionally well on this rally, with the eventual winners Hugh Hunter and Rob Fagg finishing ahead of the field in their Ford Fiesta R5.
The Spencer Sport team was supported on the Isle of Man by: Spencer ECA, Motul, Speedline Corse UK, Nicky Grist Motorsports, Oil 4 Wales, PIAA UK and Atech Racing.
