Edd Cobley experiences unforgettable weekend at Isle of Man Hill Rally

Edd Cobley was back behind the wheel of his Defender Skippy 2.0, for what turned out to be an unbelievable competition at the Isle of Man Hill Rally.

With over 200 miles driven across 3 days at speeds of more than 100mph, the pressure was on for Skippy, fitted with Davanti’s Terratoura A/T tyres. The competition was a true test of skill and endurance, designed to push driver and vehicle to their limits across a series of tarmac stages, gravel forest stages, grassy farm land, forestry ridings with stumps and rough, rocky single track roads.

Where many tyres failed when up against the conditions for fellow competitors, Edd was able to deliver a standout performance with the support of the Terratoura tyres…

The competition kicked off with a thrilling first stage – a one mile long MX track with potentially race-ending consequences from one wrong move. Embracing the challenge, Edd climbed from 28th to 8th place. Stage 2 however presented some problems. Just 100 metres off the starting line, the ignition feed fell off the barrel. Although he was able to resolve it, the setback put Edd over a minute behind in the standings.

With Skippy back up to full health, day 2 brought the real challenge – 12 hours of racing over more than 200 miles on a single track road. A true test of endurance and skill. Describing it as one of the best UK driving experiences he’s had, Edd managed to finish this stint of the competition in 4th place.

The weekend ended with yet more twists and turns for Skippy – encountering fuel issues and a broken front shaft – before ending on a high with an 8th overall, 1st in class finish.

Commenting on the event, Edd said:

“Those 12 hours were some of the best driving stages I’ve ever done in the UK. Rallying a Defender at over 100mph on the limiter on a single track road, navigating with an A4 map printout was and is one of the best experiences in Skippy yet.

“We were putting in times that were both very competitive but also pretty unreal, given Skippy 2.0 is a TD5 double cab 110, with a sequential box and 4 fox coilovers!

“I am genuinely amazed at the Terratoura A/T tyres and their ability to create grip where others struggle. They always give confidence-inspiring feedback through the steering and the car.”

Keep up to date with more of Edd’s racing action on the Davanti social channels.