As reported a few weeks ago, Marshall travelled all the way to Tennessee in America to navigate for American Alex Erisoty on the Cherokee Trails Rally. The rally is named after a local Cherokee Indian Reservation and is based in the Appalachian Mountains, where the hit Television show “The Waltons” was filmed.

    The development of the American rally scene is not as advanced as its European counterpart. The Cherokee Trails rally was one of the first events in the country to embrace the use of pace notes, a feature that has been standard on most European events for 15 years. Although looking for World Rally Championship status in 2003, the organisers still appear reluctant to allow reconnoitring of the stages. “Their belief is that pace notes lead to an increase in the average speed, and as a result the sport becomes more dangerous,” stated Marshall, “Drivers recognise the positive safety aspects of notes but the organisers seem to want to do things their own way, and are trying to resist the changes accepted throughout Europe.” Marshall however has this lack of American experience to thank for his opportunity to compete in the rally. “Alex wanted someone who had made and read their own pace notes before,” explained Marshall, “and was trying to recruit a navigator from the UK. I was lucky enough to find out about it through a friend.” Indeed, Erisoty was not the only American driver with this idea in his head, and at the end of the first day of the Cherokee Trails rally, every crew in the top ten had a European co-driver.

    The event was Marshall’s second with Alex in an ex Jimmy McRae Audi 90 Quattro, and for the second time it was destined to end in mechanical failure. Things got off to the worst possible beginning when the Audi would not start prior to the commencement of the first stage, resulting in a 10 second road penalty. This was a problem that remained unsolved, and it meant that the pair could not switch the ignition off all day. On the stages however there were no dramas, and a smooth run on the first day of the three day rally saw them sitting in tenth spot. “The stages were incredibly twisty,” revealed Marshall, “the longest stage of the rally was over 16 miles long and had over 1000 corners!.” The unfamiliar road surface also presented problems for the Fermanagh man. “Although described as a loose rally, it was a strange dusty surface, and when it rained it became very slippery. The day before the rally we nearly slid off the road in the recce car at 10mph.”

    On day 2 the Audi surged through the field to fifth place, but just when the pair where starting to make their mark the head gasket cried enough, and there was nothing for it but to switch the car off and make the long journey home. At the head of the field, English driver Richard Tuthill had no such problems, and dominated the event from start to finish to seal his first ever outright victory.