Home WRC Wales Rally GB Stobart aim for perfect home performance as season peaks in Wales
Stobart aim for perfect home performance as season peaks in Wales PDF Print E-mail

A successful season for the Stobart VK M-Sport Ford team comes to an exciting climax next week as the team prepares to celebrate its best year ever at its home event, the thrilling final round of the FIA World Rally Championship, Rally GB.  Matthew Wilson is already assured of his best ever points total for a WRC season, but is aiming to put on a sensational show for his home crowd. 

Meanwhile, team mate Henning Solberg needs to earn five points to equal his best ever finish to a season, and will be gunning for a podium spot.

 

Wilson and co-driver Scott Martin will be flying the flag for Great Britain on their home event looking to build on the team’s popularity which reached a peak on this event last year as the Stobart squad celebrated its 50th WRC rally with MotoGP star Valentino Rossi joining the team. 

 

At just 22 years of age, Wilson will be taking part in the rally for the sixth time, and for the fourth time with co-driver Martin, so has plenty experience of the tricky Welsh stages.  With 25 points to his name already this season the young Brit has delivered the performance improvements that he targeted at the start of the season, but is keen to finish the year with a flourish, aiming to match his best performance of the season, fifth place. The young star will be running with Help for Heroes decals on his Ford Focus RS WRC in support of the charity which helps wounded members of the armed forces.

 

Solberg and co-driver Cato Menkerud are also in with a chance of completing their best ever WRC season.  Having already picked up two podium finishes so far this year the Norwegians will be aiming to upset the pecking order to take yet another podium spot in Cardiff.  Solberg has shown strong form on gravel this season, and is always a firm favourite with the crowds thanks to his exuberant driving style, but despite that, he has never finished inside the points in eight attempts at Rally GB.

 

Solberg and Wilson will be joined in the team by Steve Perez and co-driver Paul Spooner.  Perez, owner of the team’s title sponsor VK and sponsor of the Kick Energy Fiesta SportTrophy UK, earned an impressive top-20 finish at Rally GB last year.

 

This year’s edition of the classic season finale sees the event Service Park move from Swansea to Cardiff Bay where the teams will be based close to the Wales Millennium Centre.  Much of the rally route remains the same as last year although changes have been made within many of the narrow but fast stages. 

 

With the rally taking place over a month earlier than its traditional end of year position on the calendar weather conditions are expected to be warmer and drier than normal.  But the unpredictable British autumn could still play its part in proceedings with the loose gravel stages becoming treacherous in muddy, wet conditions and providing another tough test for the team’s Pirelli Scorpion gravel tyres.

 

While Rally HQ is based in Cardiff, Friday’s action will see the crews head north to mid-Wales where they will face some of the classic Welsh forest stages in Myherin, Hafren and the fantastic spectator arena at Sweet Lamb.  The day is made up of two passes over a three-stage loop punctuated by a remote service in Builth Wells adding an extra element of difficulty for the teams.

 

Day Two features two passes over the longest stage of the rally, the 35.72km Rhondda test, helping to make the day the longest of the rally at 138.16kms. 

But Day Three sees the crews stay close to Cardiff for a short 79.84km closing day before reaching the finish podium in the Welsh capital.

 

Rally GB will also decide this year’s WRC Drivers’ Championship with BP Ford Abu Dhabi’s Mikko Hirvonen currently holding a one point lead over Sebastien Loeb in the driver standings and hunting down his first-ever drivers’ title.

 

Stobart VK M-Sport Ford team news since Rallye de España

Matthew Wilson has been heavily involved in the testing and development of M-Sport’s new Ford Fiesta S2000 rally car, taking on testing duties near the company’s Cumbria base.  As the only full-time British driver in the WRC, Wilson has also been busy with media commitments in the run up to his home event.

 

Henning Solberg has been taking part in a celebrity TV cooking programme back in his native Norway and both he and Cato Menkerud have been involved in the organisation of a major motorsport show which will take place in Norway in November.

 

Stobart VK M-Sport Ford driver Matthew Wilson said:

“It is such a great opportunity that we get to finish each WRC season on home territory in front of British fans and I hope that I can go out there and produce a really good performance.  We’ve had a great season and made a lot of progress so it would be fantastic to underline that with a strong performance at home.  All of the top eight drivers have got something to play for really so we’ll just be going flat out to get the best result that we can to give the fans a great result to cheer about.”

 

Stobart VK M-Sport Ford driver Henning Solberg said:

“I am really looking forward to this rally.  I struggled on the Tarmac in Spain despite making some improvements and I can’t wait to get back on a surface that I love.  I have never finished in the points at Rally GB, but I came so close to getting an excellent result there last year until the last day when I suffered a suspension breakage after hitting a rock.  That was so disappointing and I would like to make up for it this year.   We have had a really fantastic season, as has the team, and it’s important to finish well for all my sponsors.”

 

Stobart VK M-Sport Ford team principal Malcolm Wilson said:

“It has already been a fantastic season for the Stobart team, but it would be very special to finish with a good result in Wales.  Matthew has made big strides forward this season in both pace and consistency and hopefully he can finish in a really strong position at his home event as a reward for that progress.  Henning has produced some great performances, but has suffered some bad luck along the way, so I know that he would love to achieve another podium this year and he will be going all-out to do that.”

 

 

< Prev   Next >
  		 

Dave's Corner

2010 MLC Computer Solutions All Tar Rally (6 November): An information poster for the final round of the Northern Regions Rally Championship is available...

2010 SAM 100 Rally (2 October): The supplementary regs and entry form are available for the 6th round of the Northern Regions Rally Championship...

2010 Swartland Rally: The provisional entry list is available.  Both Nicholas Ryan and Mike Nathan have confirmed their entries which don't appear yet...

Mark Cronje has resigned from the Castrol Toyota team with immediate effect.  The hot favourite to fill the seat is Leeroy Poulter.  Robert Paisley will stay on in the Auris' cockpit, leaving newly crowned Class A6 Co-Driver's Champion Henry Dearlove without a drive. Poulter's confirmation is due on Wednesday 8th...

Rumours that Citroen are to compete in class A6 of the 2011 Sasol SA Rally Championship continue to gather strength.  After a fact finding visit to the Sasol Rally (see Dave's Corner  lower down), it appears Citroen France has given the go-ahead to make cars available for sale, in what could become a "Citroen Cup", or similar.  The story of a S2000 Citroen also won't lie down...Vive le France!

The Cape Peninsula Motorcycle and Car Club (CPMCC) celebrates its centenary this year.  Robert Marle has caculated this will be the 73rd running of the event, which was more commonly called the Double 12 Rally...

Ashley Haigh Smith and Hilton Auffrey will drive Andy Haigh Smith's class A6 React Toyota Corolla on the Swartland Rally...

Northern Regions Points have been updated after the SAHRA Rally...

Shaun Parsons is getting a class A5 Volkswagen Vivo for 2011 and is expected to make his debut on the Gauteng Rally in October...

2010 Bela Bela SAHRA Rally: Final results are available...

2010 React 2 Nite Rally: The supplementary regs (and addendum) and entry form for the final Western Cape Regional Rally Championship are available...

2010 CPMCC Swartland Rally: I have reloaded the documents and they DO open. Thanks for alerting me to the problem. The penultimate round of the Sasol SA Rally Championship supplementary regs, entry form and competitor's medical form are available...

Sasol SA Rally Championship points have been updated after the Osram Rally...

2010 Bela Bela SAHRA Rally: The spectator guide, updated entry list, itinerary and bulletin 1 are available...

2010 Osram Rally: The TV broadcast schedule has been released...

2010 Osram Rally: The gallery is available...Enzo Kuun heads Hergen Fekken for VW 1-2.  Conrad Rautenbach 3rd.  Toyota's day goes wrong in stage 1.  Jaco van Dyk/Des de Fortier roll in SS2 and car caught fire.  Poulter again top two-wheel drive car and takes A6 title.  Ashley Haigh Smith takes A5 championship, Stassen brothers take N4 title. Final results available...

Leave the snow chains at home - the weather forecast, scrutineering times, bulletin 1 and a map of the shakedown stage have been added...

 

Fix-A-Smash All Tar Rally: Final results and review are available...

2010 Osram Rally: The entry list, Spectator Guide, GPS points, map (amended) and itinerary (amended) have been added...Heuningneskloof has been shortened by 10km.

Toyota's next SA Rally win will be their 100th since 1960...

National Rally seedings have been updated after the VW Rally (rd 5)

2010 Hencom Autobody HMC Rally: The gallery has been uploaded.  For those new to the site or if you haven't figured it out yet, photos are loaded in results order and non-finishers alphabetically...

2010 Hencom Autobody HMC Rally: Final Results and stage analysis are available here...

2010 Hencom Autobody HMC Rally: The start list (amended), final instructions, spectator guide and GPS points, service guide and itinerary are available...

Western Cape Fix-A-Smash All Tar Rally (14-15 August): The supplementary regs and entry form are available...

Sasol National Rally Championship Points - the official MSA version has been added...

Volkswagen Rally 2010: The TV Schedule is available...

Congatulations to Hannes Visser and his wife on the birth of their daughter on Friday - just as the VW Rally was about to get underway.  Visser, the Rally TV Production man rushed from PE back to Gauteng and made the birth of their first child with no time to spare...

The IMPERIAL Toyota Rally Team of Leeroy Poulter and Henry Dearlove send their congratulations to the Vissers...

See the new MINI Countryman WRC here...

2010 Osram Rally: The supplementary regs (amended) and entry form for the 6th round of the SASOL SA Rally Championship are available...

2010 Bela Bela SAHRA Rally: 28 August: The Supplementary Regs and Entry Form are available...

Volkswagen Rally 2010: The gallery is available...

Volkswagen Rally 2010: The final results have been posted.  Congratulations to all the winners, movers and shakers...

Don't forget to follow us on Twitter - http://twitter.com/rallyworldnet

 

 

Volkswagen Rally 2010: Day 1 results here...Fekken out SS1; Gemmell leads by 5.5 sec from Enzo, Hein Lategan 3rd ahead of Habig.  Cleenwerck rolled SS1, crew battered and bruised otherwise ok.  Van Niekerk, JP, Conrad all had moments in SS2, lost lots of time.  Gavin Cronje awesome around Scribante, as was Poulter, Lategan and Wilken who won both tarmac stages...

 

Volkswagen Rally 2010: Updated weather forecast:  SA Weather Bureau predicts a 30% chance of light rain on Friday and Saturday; the overseas weather service says not! Maybe 0.1mm onSaturday...The full spectator guide, scrutineering times, weather forecast (including specifically for Longmore Forest), itinerary, GPS Co-Ordinates, final entry list and final instructions are available...

Tjaart Coetzee has sold his Subarus and parts to Sebastian Klassen who will debut on the VW Rally...

Shaun Visser will partner Robson Maganezi for the rest of the year in the N3 Linking Africa Ford Fiesta ST...

The Eastern Cape S1/A5 CitiGolf regional competitors are urgently looking for 14in tyres.  If anyone has any new or slightly used tyres for sale, please call Rikus Fourie 084-673-8786...

The PE Hotels Group telephone number in the VW Rally regs has changed to 041 585 2654...

Word on the street is that Christoff Snyders has bought the ex-Stevan Wilken A6 VW Polo and intends to compete in the balance of the Northern Regions series before tackling the 2011 Sasol SA Rally Championship...

2010 Hencom Autobody HMC Rally, 7 August: The supplementary regs and entry form are available...

The latest National Rally Seedings after Rally SA are available here...

Congratulations to Erik de Jager, whose wife delivered a healthy baby girl on 28 June...

Northern Regions Points after the Subaru Bruma Rally have been added.

SAHRA is holding a club noggin on 22 June at Fanie's Place, Centurion @ 19h00.  SAHRA will need a new Chairman as the current incumbent Etienne Malherbe is leaving the province...

Finally, some rally stuff!  The 2010 Volkswagen Rally Supplementary Regulations, entry and medical forms are available.  There is also an excellent VW winners history prepared by Rikus Fourie...

 

The Bathroom Bizarre Tzaneen Rally will be broadcast as follows: Sunday 20 June:  20h00 to 20h30  on SS 6, Monday 21 June: 11h30 to 12h00 on SS6, Wednesday:23 June: 11h30 to 12h00 on SS2

Subaru Bruma Rally: Final results and stage times are available...

 

 

The Rally of South Africa TV Schedule is available...

Subaru Bruma Belspruit (Bronkfast) Rally: The spectator and service guides, start list, itinerary and map are available.  Enjoy the event - I will be at Kyalami reporting on the Timken Subaru team...

The latest Northern Regions seedings are available here

Sasol National Rally Championship Points have been updated here

The gallery is available... There are two galleries this time. One Dave Ledbitter and the other Michael Ledbitter

 

2010 Rally of South Africa: Final Results are available.  Johnny gemmell wins by 0.7 seconds from Jan Habig and JP.  After Jessievale (SS3), the retirement list read like the who'se who of rallying: Fekken, Kuun, Rautenbach, Wilken, Joubert, De Wit, Otto...

Basil Read is to part sponsor the Rally SA TV production costs...

Follow Rallyworld on Twitter for updates directly from the Rally of South Africa.

 

 

 

Northern Regions Championship points after Tzaneen are available here...

The spectating trip to the Rally of South Africa is planned. We will leave Pretoria at 07h30 on the 28th of May 2010 and arrive in Ermelo around 11h30. We will have a hearty breakfast on our way there and on arrival in Ermelo see all the cars at the start and then move on to find a good spectating point on the first special stage. After the day's spectating we will sleep over at a guest house, rise early to have breakfast and follow the rally for the rest of the day. We will leave Ermelo for Pretoria after the prize giving.

 

Chris de Wit has received funding that will keep him and co-driver Dean Redelinghuys in the championship, and the former class champion will be on the Rally of SA...

 

Rally of South Africa: The updated entry list and WEATHER FORECAST, Bulletin 1 and the scrutineering times are available...

Volkswagen Rally 2010: A provisional timetable has been issued in view of the anticipated number of tourists still in the country and the close proximity of the VW Rally to the end of the World Cup. .  Rally people are urged to make their flight and accommodation bookings as early as possible.  Early Friday morning flights can be used with plenty of time to get there on time...

Joos and Danie Stassen made a late - and surprising - entry on the Rally of SA.  The Subaru was diagnosed with a broken piston, making their spluttering 10th place on the Sasol Rally all the more remarkable.  A generous sponsor has paid for a brand new engine...

Rally of South Africa: The spectator guide, entry list, itinerary, GPS points and a guide to Ermelo's amenities  are available...

The lastest MSA National Rally seedings are available...

Pierre Jordaan has joined Tjaart Coetzee in the Midas Subaru for the rest of the year...

The Class A5 BP Volkswagn Polo Vivo is expected to debut on the Rally of SA later this month...

 

The MSA Rally Technical Working Group is going to recommend to the Rally Commission that Class N3 remains for 2011, based on the number of entries this season...

The latest Sasol SA Rally Championship points are available...

React Night Rally (WC): Read the review, and the gallery, courtesy of Frank Pey is available...

Bathroom Bizarre Tzaneen Rally: Congratulations to Mohammed Moosa and Jose Ferreira on winning the Bathroom Bizarre Tzaneen Rally.  Final results (incl SS6) are available here...

Sasol Rally 2010: The TV Schedule is available...

Subaru Bruma Rally 2010: New date 5th June: Supplementary regs and Entry Form are available...

Seen on the Sasol Rally was the Portuguese representative from Citroen's competitions department, Miguel Velentim (Chefe de Divisao, Departmento de Competicao).  One thought is that Citroen, now fully re-committed to the South African market, is evaluating a Citroen Cup for 2011.  Now that's a mouth-watering prospect, as is a DS3-based S2000...

Sasol Rally 2010: The gallery is available...

Sasol Rally 2010: Final Results are here

Sasol Rally 2010: Kuun wins from Gemmell with Habig 3rd.  Poulter wins A6 and is first front wheel drive car home. Lambert wins A5, Amlay N3 after having his butt kicked by a girl for most of the way.  Otto takes A7, Stassens N4...

BREAKING NEWS - Both leaders are out. Rautenbach with engine problems and Fekken with gearbox problems. Kuun leads from Habig
2010 Sasol Rally: Conrad Rautenbach leads by 2.4sec from Hergen Fekken going into day 2. Looks like a massive fight between them today.
2010 Rally of South Africa: the AMENDED supplementary regs and entry form for the 4th round of the Sasol SA Rally Championship are available...The only change is to Rally Secretary Isebel vd Westhuizen's email address which should be isebels@mweb.co.za.

Etienne du Toit and Patrick Vermaak will not make the Sasol Rally as their RunX's gearbox is not ready...

Rob Clarke, owner of the Bundu Lodge where many teams are staying during the Sasol Rally, reports that Nelspruit had over 200mm of rain last week and since 17h00 today (Tue, 20 April) over 80mm has fallen with more expected tomorrow...Speaking of which, the rather bleak weekend weather forecast has been added...

2010 React Rally: The supplementary regs and entry form for the 4th round of the Western Cape Regional Championship are here...

Former regional rallyists Leon van Zyl and Morne van Bosch are going off road racing...

Sasol Rally 2010: SAM'sbrilliant spectator guide is available here.  Even after compressing it, it's a big file!  I've also chopped it into 4 smaller files for easier download.

Sasol Rally 2010: Bulletin 1, which includes the scrutineering times, maps to the start and the medical safety plan, is available. The file size is nearly 2MB so please be patient!

The latest MSA National Rally Seedings are available...

Sasol Rally 2010: The Competitor's Medical Form is available and must be completed and returned to Henriette Jooste...

Northern Regions seedings have been updated...

SCC East Rand Delmas Rally: Congratulations to Michael Otto, Nico Higgs and Shaun Parsons; final results and stage times are available here...The GALLERY is available...

 

Vlakvlei Rally:  All the documents for the next round of the Western Cape Regional Championship are here...

The MSA National Points table after Round 2 has been posted; the Privateer's Championship needs some revision so please don't inundate MSA with complaints!

Please note that the 36th Rally of South Africa will be held on 28 and 29 May 2010. The rally will be the fourth round of the 2010 Sasol South African Rally Championship and will be based in Ermelo with stages in the Panbult and Warburton areas. The Supplementary Regulations and Entry Form will be available shortly and entries will then open. The rally will follow a similar format to last year’s event with the start at lunch time on the Friday and the finish on the Saturday afternoon.

Toyota Dealer Rally TV Schedule is available...

SCC East Rand Rally: as at Tuesday, 30 March just 6 entries have been received. Anyone who has paid SCC ER for Leon Botha's route notes will be refunded by SCC ER and all entrants must pay Leon Botha directly...

Sasol Rally 2010: The supplementary regs and entry form are available...

Bathroom Bizarre Tzaneen Rally 2010: The supplementary regs and entry form are available for the 2nd round of the Northern Regions Championship...

Toyota Dealer Rally: The gallery has been loaded.

Toyota Dealer Rally Final  results available here!  Conrad Rautenbach wins for Ford from Enzo Kuun and Hergen Fekken...

The weather forecast does not look good...The stage 6 map, scrutineering times (added Tue 23/3), spectator guide, main map, indemnity, rally programme, entry list, itinerary and shakedown stage details are available...Click on the "entry list" link to access everything you need

 

Bundu Lodge between Nelspruit and White River is offering their new luxurious rooms at R495/couple/day for the Sasol Rally.  Contact Marie van Wyngaardt  013 758 1222  013 758 1222 or www.bundulodge.co.za for details...

 

Tjaart Conradie will receive Sasol fuel and lubricants for the rest of the season...

The next HiQ Rally Sprint takes places at Rallystar on 20 March, starting at 10am.  Entrance is r30, including a free boerewors roll...

Gugu Zulu and Shaun Visser are moving up to a class A7 BP Polo Vivo for the Toyota Dealer Rally...

The full Tour Natal TV schedule is here...

National seedings after the Tour Natal are here...

Schalk Burger has been discharged from hospital and is recovering well at home.  Listening to him re-live his accident is chilling...

The

 

 

 

 

 

Ettienne du Toit has been forced to withdraw from the Rally of SA due to a late unspecified car problem...

 

Rally of South Africa 2010:

 

2010 Osram Rally: