Network Q RAC Rally 23-25 November 1997

Wednesday 19th November 1997

The 1997 Network Q RAC Rally will herald the world debut of the all 

new Nissan Almera GTi Rally car from Nissan Motorsports Europe. 1997 

British Rally Champions Mark Higgins and co-driver Phil Mills will 

take the Almera into battle over three days and 26 special stages in 

Britain's round of the World Rally Championship. The whole event will 

be a precursor for 1998 when NME will enter six World Rally 

Championship events with Mark and Phil crewing the car, but they will 

have last year's brilliant 4th place finish to the front of their 

memory as a reminder of what they can do in Britain's biggest sporting 

spectacle.



The stunning Micra Kit Car will be out again in the hands of Geoff 

Jones and Rhydian Welson after they drove it last on the Ulster Rally 

in August, whilst the NME Performance specification Micra will be 

driven by previous Japanese Rally Championship class winners Masahiro 

Takasaki and Hiroaki Hamada - the fourth time Masahiro will be driving 

the RAC Rally.



Higgins and Mills come from the highly competitive British Rally 

Championship this year that has seen them win 33 stages from the 93 

that were covered in five rallies. It was a number of stage wins that 

many have missed, especially as the non-Kit Car engine was used for 

the first two events, therefore giving away upto 50 horsepower to 

other cars, but it was one that did not take any wind out of their 

sails. Indeed, once the car saw the tarmac lanes of Ulster, Mark flew 

to an overall win before the Championship winning run on the Manx 

International in September. Nissan Motorsports Europe came a 

tantalisingly close second in the manufacturers table too - a feat 

accomplished with only one car....



1997 was seen as an interim year with regards to competition due to 

the emergence of the Almera taking over from the faithful Sunny GTi, 

but a 'Kit car' engine was made and utilised from April in the Sunny. 

A 6-speed Hewland gearbox gave no problems, as well as the front 

suspension. Many parts have been transposed successfully onto the 

Almera. 



Testing for the RAC has gone particularly well with days been spent at 

three different locations in Wales. For Mark it was a chance to get to 

know the new car that only turned a wheel for the first time on 

October 14th. "The testing a couple of weeks ago was very good indeed 

with us doing 260 miles without so much as putting a spanner on it. 

It'll be a good baptism for the car up against the world's best, but 

the British Rally Championship is the second most competitive in the 

world next to the WRC, so we're prepared for the strength of what 

we'll come up against with the World F2 cars."









The Almera GTi has only been developed so far in gravel specification, 

but is in fact 20 millimetres wider that the track of the Sunny GTi. 

For tarmac specification the track will increase a further 125 

millimetres for that extra tarmac agility.



The RAC heralds the first anniversary of Yokohama's full involvement 

with Nissan Motorsports Europe that first saw that magnificent 4th 

place on the RAC Rally last year in the first rally that Mark and Phil 

had done with the tyres. Yokohama's Jim Fullwood explains; "We have 

400 different tyres for Mark on the RAC with five new front and two 

new rear compounds whilst there are two new constructions in each 

compound too. The tests that we've had in the run up to the RAC have 

been very good with regards to reliability as there are less 

opportunities for tyre changes during the event due to the 

regulations."



Clarion Car Audio will again be on the cars, as has been the case for 

the last four seasons that has seen NME and it's drivers win three 

British Rally Championship crowns. BBC Top Gear Magazine stickers will 

appear on the Almera for the first time in a new agreement that will 

see them accompanying the car on WRC events. Input by Eibach 

Suspension technology and a set of new stickers from Duckhams Oil will 

also be resplendent on the car.



TR Fastenings will be on the Micra Kit Car with Geoff Jones, also as a 

prelude to the 1998 season when he shall drive the car in the British 

Rally Championship in a deal where the car is loaned and supported 

from NME.



Nissan Motorsports Europe 

1st British Rally Championship 1995 - Drivers and Manufacturers

1st British Rally Championship 1997 - Drivers (2nd Manufacturers)

2nd British Rally Championship 1996 - Drivers and Manufacturers



For those of you in the UK, the RAC Rally will be televised on 

BBC 2 at the following times;

Saturday 22nd November	18.00 - 18.30	Top Gear Rally Preview

Sunday 23rd November	14.00 - 15.00	Silverstone Stage Live

Sunday 23rd November	21.10 - 21.40	Top Gear Rally Report

Monday 24th November	20.00 - 20.30	Top Gear Rally Report

Tuesday 25th November	20.00 - 20.30	Top Gear Rally Report





If you would like to be kept in touch of NME's RAC Rally progress by 

e-mail, then please contact; toby@the1817co.demon.co.uk