Britain's Colin McRae and Richard Burns are likely to be among the front runners of the Network Q Rally of Great Britain which starts next Thursday, November 22.

However, further down the field and a million miles away from the mega bucks budgets of the top teams, the fighting will be no less fierce.

The Group N is a road-going showroom class in which only the addition of extra safety equipment and some moderate strengthening separate it from the regular car you might park on your drive.

Electric windows stay in, as do the carpets.

One Group N entrant is ITV Formula One pundit Tony Jardine heads of a Kingston PR firm.

He is being accompanied by Kevin Eason, the Grand Prix Correspondent for The Times newspaper, and they finished first in group last time out in the Jim Clark Memorial Rally.

Cavalry

Jardine has called up some high powered cavalry in an attempt to beat off the white hot class competition and is aiming to put pressure on The Sun's own Group A entrant in an intriguing tabloid v broadsheet media sidescrap.

Firstly, two Lucky Strike BAR Honda Formula One teamsters will support Jardine and Eason.

John Digby, operations assembly manager, responsible for gearbox, hydraulics and sub-assembly at Lucky Strike BAR Honda, has worked with Colin McRae, among others, in the World Rally Championship before, as has Andy Markham, hydraulics engineer for Lucky Strike BAR Honda.

Digby said: "If my experience can assist Tony, then I am more than happy to help out. The Honda Integra is a great car and I'm sure it'll go really well."

Jardine said: "Honda UK and its dealers have been very supportive of our efforts during the last year and to get Digger' and Andy from Lucky Strike BAR Honda to assist on setting the car up is a real coup.

"There is no doubt that their presence gives myself and Kevin a great confidence boost going into the most important rally event in the world."

November 16, 2001 12:01