A father and son duo from the Isle of Wight are among the competitors gearing up for this month’s Island Stages Rally, with proud backing from Island Echo, Harwoods Garage and Wilton’s of Shanklin.
Simon Verstraeten will once again take to the driver’s seat of his Talbot Sunbeam for this year’s event, which takes place on closed roads around Havenstreet on Sunday 15th February – less than 2 weeks’ time.
But 2026 will be somewhat special as Simon will be joined by his son, Matt, who is stepping into the co-driver’s seat for the very first time.
Matt, who, like his dad, hails from Shanklin, has been a lifelong fan of rallying but this will be his competitive debut.
Island Echo is proud to extend its sporting sponsorship to the mighty Verstraeten duo for this year’s rally, with much-appreciated sponsorship also coming from Harwoods Garage in Wootton, Wilton’s of Shanklin and RapidFinish cosmetic car repairs.
The Weavers Bros Island Stages Rally promises high-octane action, with crowds of spectators expected to turn out once again following the success of the previous event. Details on where you can watch the action can be found at https://iowcc.co.uk/rally/spectators/.
With a mix of experienced drivers and new faces, this year’s rally is shaping up to be one of the most exciting yet, with the seeded entry list revealing a top-tier Top 5. Last year’s winner Rob Swann take the Number 1 seed.
Other Isle of Wight competitors joining Simon and Matt on the entry list include: Will Nicholls/Nick Broom; Dean Long/Robbie Sandford; Wayne Hole/Chris Wilson; Freddie Death/Kealan Watkins; John Peck/Andy Tomlinson; Ian Thomas/Gerald Wilby; Andy Williams/Harry Samuel; Heidi Peck/Paul Whittington; Kevin Richardson/Katrin Herold and Robbie Cooper/Emily Cooper.
Ahead of this year’s event, Simon has said:
“This year is extra special for me. To have Matt beside me for his first rally is something I’ll never forget.
“We’re hugely grateful to Island Echo, Harwoods and Wilton’s for their support.
“We’ll do our best to make the Island proud!”
We have more roads on the island closed due INCOMPETENT
Highways, yet they manage to close these roads for a
speeding jolly.
You cannot make the island authorities up, sooner devolution
arrives the better, we might have some decent authority
running the show.
We have more roads on the island closed due INCOMPETENT
Highways, yet they manage to close these roads for a
speeding jolly.
You cannot make the island authorities up, sooner devolution
arrives the better, we might have some decent authority
running the show
Maybe they should increase the size of the event to take in more of the Islands roads, the Manx TT generates approx £37 million to the local economy annually, that could only be a good thing for the Island.
Isle of Man is a different kettle of fish.