Boardman Motorsport Logo
PDF Print E-mail


DATE:  3rd July 2006
RELEASE:  Immediate
CONTACT:  Helen Ray at HR PR on 07813 919333

Rally Dan to attempt first International Rally and second consecutive class win in Manx

Lancashire rallyman, Dan Boardman aims to replicate the class winning form he established in the RBS Manx National rally earlier this year by entering the Manx International Rally, on 3rd August, Round 4 of the British Rally Championship.

The classic Manx runs over two and a half days with 180 Special Stage Miles on some of the fastest tarmac roads in the world. This is a World famous event, previous winners include Colin McRae, Ari Vatenen and Toney Pond and Dan is hoping to put his name alongside these all time greats. “The Manx island roads are extremely technical yet rewarding with open fast and flowing A roads which turn off on to the narrowest of B roads (or rat runs) across fords and ‘hairy’ big jumps with wonderful scenery. It’s one of the only events in which I can drive on the same stages as all the World Champions have done in the past” says Dan. “It’s very well organised and a great event to watch too as there is good access to all the stages so there will be thousands of rally fans to lend their support”.

After his win on the island in May, he is confident of another class win but is sure the competition will be fierce as this time the rally is part of the British Rally championship.   He will again be driving the Suzuki Swift 1300 GTi .  “This will be the biggest and longest event I have done by far.  I am more used to the forest events, which are around 40miles in total, the longest forest stage I have done is 12miles but some of the Manx stages are 25miles long.  On the longer stages it is more difficult as a driver to keep concentration to a maximum whilst still processing information from the co-driver and car.  I have therefore put in a lot of extra preparation before the biggest rally of my career so far” says Dan.

Dan is very professional about every aspect of preparation of the team before events. He is sponsored by his local gym Total Fitness in Preston; he believes that if he is physically fit it also improves mental fitness. He has been keeping in shape with a bespoke motorsports training regime with his personal trainer.
 
Dan will be travelling over to start his preparation in the Isle of Man a week before the rally, taking a weeks holiday off work, to ensure the car is finished for scrutineering. Fortunately for Dan the car is kept over on the island by good a friend, John Kneen, who has also been preparing the car.  In addition to preparing the car to meet the stringent International rally specifications, there is also the navigation to rehearse.  Prior to the rally, each competitor will drive the stages 2 or 3 times, what is known as a “reccy”, where they make “pace notes”. On the first pass through the stages the driver will read out his description of the road ahead, on the second pass the co-driver will read back his short hand notes of the road and on the 3rd pass the driver will make minor adjustments to finely tune the description. “Fine-tuning the pace notes is crucial to getting the most out of the road and car, there is a lot of detail to take on board whilst travelling at speeds over 110mph including road surface, lines and breaking points so it is critical that I have confidence in our pace notes and in Kev the co-driver, delivering the pace notes just at the right time” adds Dan.

Competing in an International event is a big financial commitment for Dan who is sponsored by Rossall School and by Preston based Autobreakers who have supplied Dan with various parts for his rally cars throughout his career and are helping the team financially. “It’s an expensive sport but it gets a lot of media coverage so if you are imaginative you can act as a marketing tool for commercial enterprises. This year we are taking sponsors’ clients out to rallies as VIP guests where they will get to see exclusive behind-the-scenes action as part of the team. Sponsors will also be using VIP guest days as incentive schemes for their staff. In addition to corporate hospitality, the team also offers specialist tuition rally days – a real personal touch” says Daniel. To contact the team or to find out more information on the Manx rally and how to get involved visit Dan’s website www.rallydan.co.uk

This epic event finishes on Saturday afternoon with ramp celebrations at the TT Grandstand and later the infamous after-rally party.

Daniel is now beginning to gain the recognition he deserves for his rally driving talent, and has ambitious plans to contest the British Championship next year.

Daniel and his team Boardman Motorsport offer bespoke hospitality and PR solutions in association with the rally team. Any companies looking for innovative marketing and publicity opportunities should contact Daniel on 07970 533383 or . To find out the latest information on the Manx International rally or to contact Daniel visit www.rallydan.co.uk.


- ENDS -

Notes to editors:

(1) In the RBS National rally on 3/4th May 2006 Dan was originally seeded in position 91 but finished the event in a very respectable 51st position beating much more powerful machinery.
(2) Visit www.rallydan.co.uk to view Dan’s driver website
(3) A post-event press release containing results information and details of the action over the weekend and photos will be issued after the event. Passenger seat rides, photos and interviews with Daniel can be arranged.
(4) Current sponsors: C B Horne (shellfish specialist, Peel, Isle of Man tel: 01624 843156), www.rossallschool.org.uk (Rossall School, Fleetwood), www.autobreakers.co.uk (Autobreakers, Preston), Total Fitness (Preston), www.lancs-salvage.co.uk  (Lancashire Salvage, Blackburn), www.physicalpeak.co.uk  (Personal Trainer in Preston), and ATS Tyres (Preston).  In addition, Koni, Sportsline Leda and Bilstein, Silverstone Tyres, Luke and Corbau all provided sponsorship towards the build of the teams 2 Suzuki Swift rally cars.
(5) Contact Helen Ray on 07813 919333 to request photos / interviews.

 

 
< Prev   Next >