The 2026 Manx National Rally is on course to set a historic milestone after organisers received an extraordinary surge of entries within hours of opening registration.
Manx Auto Sport confirmed that more than 180 crews submitted their applications on Monday evening, marking one of the strongest responses in the event’s six‑decade history.
Entries opened at 7pm on Monday (February 9), and within seconds the first competitors were already signed up.
New Base
By the end of the night, 187 entries had been logged for the closed‑road rally, which will run across 137 competitive stage miles from a new base at the Andreas Rally Village in the north of the Isle of Man.
Mark Ellison, speaking on behalf of Manx Auto Sport, said the organising team had been “absolutely delighted with the response,” noting that the rally can accommodate a maximum of 170 starters.
“Previous experience suggests that there will be some dropouts and so we expect everyone who has entered so far will get to start the rally,” he said.
“In fact, we would encourage anyone who has not yet entered to still place an entry, as we may well have spaces available nearer to the event.”
Rally’s Popularity
The rally’s popularity is reflected across all five championships featured in this year’s edition.
Strong entry numbers have been recorded for the Protyre Motorsport UK Asphalt Rally Championship, Fuchs Lubricants Motorsport UK British Historic Rally Championship, Manx Auto Sport Championship, Roger Albert Clark Historic Asphalt Rally Championship and the ANWCC Stage Rally Championship.
Competitors are travelling from across the UK, Ireland and even Japan, with Shinobu Kitani and Osamu Sumida returning in their distinctive Minis.
Interest has also surged online, with stage maps on the Manx Auto Sport website viewed more than 62,000 times since their release.
The organisers say the overwhelming response is a major boost as they prepare for what is shaping up to be one of the most competitive and well‑supported Manx National Rallies in decades.
