Jason Pritchard
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20/11/2019 by admin

PRITCHARD AIMING FOR THIRD TIME LUCKY AT RAC RALLY

The 2019 Roger Albert Clark Rally will make a return next weekend (November 21st – 25th) and the entry list includes some world-class drivers and amongst them will be three times British Historic Rally Champion Jason Pritchard who famously won the title for the third year in a row in September 2017.

The 31-year-old also added the MSA Asphalt Rally Championship title to his honours list in 2018 and 2019 and he can’t wait for next week as he aims to make up for his disappointment on the same event in 2017. 

Two years ago the Roger Albert Clark Rally was firmly there for the taking but Pritchard’s challenge was abruptly ended by a broken half shaft on the third day of the epic rally. That wasn’t Pritchard’s first dose of bad luck on the event, in 2013 he came off on a blind corner over a crest whilst battling for the lead and couldn’t recover.

The Welshman is hoping its third time lucky this time round:

I’m really hoping that we can avoid any incidents or moments of bad luck as we take on one of the longest rally’s in the UK. I’ve enjoyed our last two attempts so much, it’s such a wonderful rally but after getting so close in 2017, I don’t think I’ve ever felt so low whilst rallying.

I had just secured my third British Historic Championship and I was full of confidence going into the event and really familiar with the car. We managed to control the pace and we held a really strong lead, it’s not often it all clicks like that in rallying, I think that is why not being able to finish was just so disappointing.

Pritchard will be joined by Phil Clarke, in his Ford Escort, and is set to go up against a host of quality drivers. The five-day event, will witness classic rally cars take on stages across England, Scotland and Wales to relive the original RAC Rally from the 1970’s and 80’s.

1100 miles (with 300 of them being competitive) over 40 stages lie ahead for the crews, with drivers confirmed from around Europe to contest the event.

Pritchard can’t wait to get going:

I’m nervous but equally just as excited ahead of this really tough event, whoever makes it to Monday and crosses the finish line first, then hats off to the guys in the car but also the crew, it’s going to be some test!

It’s been a long two-year wait to get back on this event, I’m determined to make it worth it. The car is in great condition, I’ve been working on it alongside my Dad at North Road Garage, it’s been such an experience having him with me on this journey, he’s been running cars like this for years and that’s something which gives me great confidence going into the rally.

I can’t thank all my sponsors enough as I wouldn’t be able to compete on this event if it wasn’t for North Road Garage Builth Wells, Pirelli and Harkness Competition Tyres. I would also like to thank Professional MotorSport World Expo, Brian James Trailers, Trailhead Get Jerky, Braces Bread and Leominster Car Auctions for also supporting me on the 2019 RAC rally. Also, the team that travel out with me, they are simply amazing and continue to support me in so many ways and offer such good guidance over the rounds. I can’t wait to get going!

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22/08/2019 by admin

PRITCHARD IS BACK AND READY FOR HOMETOWN RALLY

This bank holiday weekend will see Jason Pritchard returning to the Motorsport UK Protyre Asphalt Rally Championship when he competes on the Mewla National rally.

Jason Pritchard in his Ford Focus WRC Rally car

The event takes place on Sunday 25th August and starts opposite the Pritchard’s family Toyota dealership in Builth Wells. Competing crews will tackle over 70 competitive miles, on 13 special stages of the demanding Epynt military ranges before returning to the Royal Welsh Showground in Builth Wells.

Jason will be joined again by his co-driver by Phil Clarke, the pair took the win on this event last year in torrential weather conditions and will be aiming to repeat this success again. The crew have had the perfect start to the season, winning the opening 3 rounds of the Championship, since then they’ve had mixed fortunes.

Rally van Wervik in Belgium saw them take the lead on the opening loop, on the second run of these stages a brake calliper failure saw them lose time and ultimately forced them to retire at the next service. The team missed the next round in Ireland as Jason was expecting the birth of his first child. 

Winning the championship is still possible as the 31-year-old explains:

“This year there are 7 points scoring rounds and your best 5 scores count. I was bitterly disappointed to retire in Belgium as we were heading for another good points haul, but unfortunately, in motorsport, the smallest of problems can put you out. We still decided not to go over to Ireland and drop this round as I wouldn’t feel comfortable being away and I didn’t want to miss the birth of my first child.  

“Phil and I have been in worse situations and still managed to win Championships so we’ll just keep doing our own thing and see what happens this weekend. The weather forecast is the total opposite to what we had last year, for me the wet would be better as my car is less powerful than my main competitors and they’ve been out competing more recently than me.”

Jason and Phil will be using their North Road Garage backed Ford Focus WRC this weekend and would like to thank them, Pirelli and Harkness Competition Tyres for their continued support.

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16/05/2019 by admin

PRITCHARD VICTORIOUS IN ISLE OF MAN FOR THE 5th TIME

Jason Pritchard won for the firth time on the Isle of Man last weekend, equalling Kenny McKinstry’s five wins on the island. In winning, the Welshman extended his lead in the Protyre Motorsport UK Asphalt Rally Championship, he took maximim points on both days of the double-header Masterpixel Media Manx National Rally.

The 30-year-old from Builth Wells, has taken maximum points after three rounds of the championship and is currently top of the standings with 90-points. The next round of the Protyre Motorsport UK Asphalt Rally Championship is the Woodstoxx – Motul Rally van Wervick in Belgium on 15 June.

Pritchard was delighted in another victorious visit to the Isle of Man:

“I’m delighted with how the weekend went. We had a good start on the Friday and that saw me take the lead after stage one. We had the usual Manx weather, glorious sunshine on stage one but a local mentioned it was raining on stage two so we took the safe option and switched to wet tyres.

“The car did cut out briefly on stage 8 on the Friday night but after the 8 stages we finished with a 1min 42secs advantages and I had won the first round.

It was typical Manx weather it was glorious sunshine in Douglas but as we were about to leave a local mentioned it was raining on stage 2. We looked online and the weather was saying rain there atm. So we quickly changed and went on the safe option of wet tyres.”

Pritchard had opened up a 57 second lead after the eight stages on Friday but he had to do it all again if he was to score another maximum points haul on the stages on Saturday.

It wasn’t as trouble free as the previous day for Pritchard:

“We had an issue with the launch on stage 2 on the Saturday which saw saw me stall the car, this quickly started up so we didn’t lose anytime on this stage as we beat the bogie time for this. The next stage I found the tyres were too soft for the warm conditions, a small overshoot and a stall cost us time as the car refused to start back up.

“However, the rest of the day was drama free, thankfully, and myself and Phil were enjoying every mile of the Manx roads in beautiful sunshine. It really is an amazing place to drive!”

Pritchard took another maximum points on the Saturday with a victory of by 3 minutes 19.8 seconds and was grateful for all the support he receives across the weekend:

“To win five times on the Isle of Man is great and I’m proud of the achievement but I couldn’t do it without the team around me. I would like to thank all the organisers and marshals for another excellent event.

“Phil was excellent on the notes and did yet another faultless job, such a pleasure to have him co-drive for me. My parents and the boys in service did another sterling job in keeping the car going and P&R Benn for preparing the car for this event.

“As always, I want to thank my sponsors for their continued support – North Road Garage Builth Wells, Monaville Guest House, Harkness Competition Tyres and Pirelli”

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22/03/2019 by admin

PRITCHARD STARTS HIS TITLE DEFENCE WITH VICTORY IN EPYNT

Jason Pritchard started the defence of his Protrye Motorsport UK Rally Championship title with a victory last weekend on the Tour of Epynt.

The 30-year-old Welshman couldn’t have asked for a better start as he won the opening round of the 2019 series, Pritchard took top spot in his North Road Garage backed Ford Focus WRC05.

Weather conditions were far from perfect over the military ranges last Sunday, as drivers had to deal with heavy rain, sleet and hail throughout the day, making driving conditions difficult and the choice of tyre was causing drivers, including Pritchard, a headache throughout the rally.

You had to remind yourself that Pritchard hadn’t sat behind the wheel of his Focus since last October as he made the difficult conditions look easy. Alongside his excellent co-driver, Phil Clarke, the duo took the lead on the SS2 stage and held onto top spot until the very end, stretching their lead over their closest rivals with each stage.

The three-time British Historic Champion, who added the MSA Asphalt Rally Championship title to his trophy cabinet last year, was delighted with the strong start:

“I would be lying if I didn’t say I felt rusty at the start of the rally, the lack of seat time was quite evident in that first stage. I was selecting the wrong gear on the slow sections, I still don’t know how I didn’t stall the car! However, once we got onto stage 2, I started to become a lot more comfortable behind the wheel and my confidence grew and grew.

“Once we took the lead on stage 2, it didn’t feel like I would relinquish top spot, everything felt smooth and I was confident I could extend my lead after each stage.”

Pritchard did just that and finished 2 minutes and 13 seconds ahead of the second place car, to ensure he got his 2019 of to a winning start. Although Pritchard had to keep an eye on not only his rivals but also the sheep who would get in his way on more than one occasion:

“It’s been a great rally. A big thank you to the marshals who stood outside all day in torrential weather, it was a good slick event with no major hold ups. Well, not forgetting the sheep on the last stage! We had to stop for a large flock of sheep to cross the road, Phil reminded me to just take it easy and time was on my side. All part of the fun!

“As ever, I wouldn’t be able to do this without my sponsors: North Road Garage, Pirelli and Harkness Competition Tyres and also Phil, my family and the team who support me with the car leading up to and on the day of a rally. Thank you!”

This weekend (22nd/23rd March) Pritchard will be competing on the Legend Fires North West Stages. Which will see drivers compete on roads usually used for public. The Legend Fires North West Stages is run by Motorsport (North West) Limited and becomes only the second car rally in England to take advantage of the Road Traffic Act updated legislation.

This is a new era for British Rallying, the event has attracted top drivers and cars from all over the country and is likely to draw many spectators to the area.

Pritchard will be using the Fiesta S2000 this weekend and is hoping to follow in his Dad’s footsteps, Eian Pritchard has won this event before and finished second at the rally in 2017:

“I’m really looking forward to this event, it’s such a popular rally. I was one of the lucky ones who got selected from the 20 reserve places that organisers kept open and was delighted to find out that I had been chosen to compete.

“I’m using the Fiesta S2000 this weekend, which is a lot less powerful than the other competitors around me, but the purpose of this weekend is to go and support the event and have some fun.”

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15/03/2019 by admin

PRITCHARD BACK IN ACTION IN EPYNT

MSA Asphalt champion Jason Pritchard will compete in his first race of 2019 in the opening round and his defence of the Protyre MSA Asphalt Rally Championship. 

The Rallynuts National Tour of Epynt Rally, on Sunday 10 March, includes a jam-packed entry list featuring British asphalt rally drivers in World Rally Cars to an array of class cars.

The Welshman, who won the Championship in 2018, will be kick-starting the defence of his title in his North Road Garage-backed Ford Focus WRC05. Joined by co-driver Phil Clarke, Pritchard will be looking to build on the three victories he achieved in the Championship last year, and victory in Epynt this weekend will be the perfect start to his campaign.
 
The three-time British Historic Champion, added the MSA Asphalt Rally Championship title last year and he’s looking forward to getting back behind the wheel.

 “I can’t wait for Sunday, it’s certainly felt like a very long time since my last rally. It was another fantastic season for myself and Phil, we were delighted to win the Championship last time out. I want to try and keep that momentum going and replicate that winning feeling from last year this Sunday in Epynt.

“I’m going to be driving the Focus WRC on Sunday, in this event last year I used the Fiesta S200, a combination of bad snow and work commitments meant we couldn’t pick up the Focus. I will be reverting between both cars again this season, but I can’t wait to sit behind the wheel of the Focus again.

“I haven’t even seen the car let alone sat behind the wheel for the past five months so I’m expecting to be a little rusty to start with, but as we all know, a championship isn’t won or lost at the first event. Many of my closest competitors were out competing last weekend as they looked to get some seat time, so it should be a really interesting battle out there.”

The event is local to Pritchard, based in Llandovery and the stages as per last year are on the Epynt military ranges. The only time the 30-year-old used the WRC car on these stages was for the Mewla rally last year, in which Pritchard endured the worst conditions he’s seen on Epynt but he still managed to win that day. Epynt holds special memories for Pritchard:

“Epynt has a number of experts and some of the guys I’m up against have been competing there since before I was born. I know many from when they competed against my Dad, they’re still extremely quick, talented and special drivers so we will have to do our best as always if we want to start well.

“I’d like to thank my sponsors North Road Garage Builth Wells, Pirelli  and Harkness Competition Tyres, without their help I wouldn’t be able to compete.”

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24/08/2018 by admin

PRITCHARD AIMING TO FOLLOW IN HIS FATHER’S FOOTSTEPS

Welshman Jason Pritchard will be competing literally on his doorstep this weekend as the 5th round of the Protyre UK Asphalt Championship heads to Bulith Wells this weekend.

The Mewla Rally, celebrating its 40th year, is based on the Royal Welsh Show Ground, just across the road from the Pritchard family’s North Road Garage. The rally first ran in 1978 over the Eypnt Range Road and even though the event has witnessed many changes in rallying, the event remains a classic test for all involved.

The 30-year-old, who is a three-time British Historic Champion, will compete in his Focus WRC on Sunday alongside co-driver Phil Clarke and will be up against, as usual, a top-class field.

“I haven’t competed on this event since 2006, my first season in rallying, so I’m excited to get out there on Sunday. I can remember watching my Father rallying here as a young boy, he’s won this event three times, so I’m hoping I can follow in his footsteps this weekend.”

There will be thirteen special stages of the British MSA British Asphalt Championship that will take place over the Epynt Ranges, where Pritchard will compete over 75 stage miles.

This is the penultimate round of the championship and the Welshman is confident that he can push those above him in the standings and is still hopeful of trying to finish top of the pile:

“I always go into every race confident, you have to. My aim is to always be the best in everything I’m involved in and this Sunday, I’ll be no different. Yes, it’s a long shot but you must believe you can do it. We’ve still got a chance of winning the championship, I just can’t wait to get going on Sunday. “It’ll be the first time I’ve competed on Epynt in a World Rally Car, so I imagine it will take me a few stages to find the pace but I believe we can have a good run. “Previously out in Northern Ireland, we had the pace but no luck, it felt like a character-building day and I want to use that experience to become a better driver. As always, I’d like to thank my sponsors, North Road Garage Builth Wells, Harkness Competition Tyres and Pirelli.”

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18/07/2018 by admin

PRITCHARD ALL SET FOR NORTHERN IRELAND

Welshman Jason Pritchard can’t wait to head out to Lisburn this weekend for the Carryduff Forklift Down Rally, the first Northern Ireland rally event to be included in the Protyre UK Asphalt Championship.

The fourth round of the Championship will be based at the Eikon Centre and Pritchard alongside his co-driver Phil Clarke will be up against a top class field and a number of challenging stages throughout the day.

The 30-year-old, who is a three-time British Historic Champion, will compete in his Focus WRC on Saturday and it will be the first time he’s used the car on tarmac outside of the Isle of Man.

Pritchard, who finished third and first in the first two rounds (Eypnt and Isle of Man), is aiming to bounce back after the disappointment of not finishing the stages in Belgium in round three:

“I’m really looking forward to the event, the organisers have been superb from the very beginning and I know they will be putting on a fantastic rally this Saturday. “We were obviously dejected after not finishing in Belgium in the previous round, but that’s rallying. You must take the ups with the downs, it’s crucial for my championship that I finish with points on the board out in Northern Ireland on Saturday. “Nothing in Motorsport is certain so we just have to go out there on Saturday, do our own thing and most importantly, enjoy the rally.”

The list of drivers for Saturday, which has been extended to 130 to accommodate the demand for entries, includes a whole host of top names and Pritchard knows the appeal of Saturday, to drivers and spectators alike:

“I’ve known the event organisers for a long time and I know how much hard work goes into the rally, I’ll be starting the event as car number two out of 130 entries and I remember refreshing my computer screen when the entries opened to ensure I got in straight away.” “It’s not just the quantity of cars, it’s the quality as well. I know the event attracts many supporters and I’m aware that fans from Wales will be heading over as well, so I’m incredibly excited to get out there and get going. As always, I wouldn’t be able to compete on Saturday without the support from my sponsors: North Road Garage, Harkness competition tyres and Pirelli.”

Saturday will be round four out of the six round series across the UK and Europe, next up after Northern Ireland for Pritchard will be round five back in Wales and the Old Forge Garage Mewla Rally before the season-ending Keldine Autos Cheviot Stages Rally taking place on the Otterburn Army Ranges in Northumberland at the end of October.

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16/05/2018 by admin

PRITCHARD BOUNCES BACK IN STYLE WITH VICTORY IN THE MANX NATIONAL RALLY

Jason Pritchard and co-driver Phil Clarke banished the disappointment of last year’s electric fault in true style last weekend (11th – 12th May) as they clinched top spot in this year’s Bet on Aces Manx National Rally.

As the event finished in glorious sunshine on the Saturday, Pritchard drove his North Road Garage Ford Focus WRC05 to victory number four out of six attempts on the Island, to further establish his excellent record in the Isle of Man.

The 29-year-old from Builth Wells was in pole position last year and leading by three minutes before an engine fault put a halt to his anticipated victory, this time round, there was no stopping the Welshman, as he bounced back to win the event he thrives in:

“I’m absolutely delighted to leave the Isle of Man as Manx National Rally winners; I can’t lie and say that last year’s electric fault with the car was on my mind at the start, especially as we were forced to miss the shakedown due to a small issue with the hydraulic system. “However the car was in top form from the word go, capping off a wonderful weekend of rallying, we couldn’t be happier with how it went. We started the weekend by visiting a local primary school to answer questions and took along the car, we are always made to feel so welcome when we come over to the island, it’s always a great experience.”

Although the rally finished in the sunshine, it wasn’t the case on the Friday evening as the heavens decided to open and although this made Pritchard’s tyre choice easy, it certainly made the conditions a lot trickier to navigate:

“After failing to do the shakedown, the first stage was my chance to get used to the car and the speed of the event. Even with the torrential rain we managed to beat the bogey time by 4 seconds, this is the average speed for the stage and we were coming in quicker, so this gave me a huge confidence boost right from the start.”

From rain to thick fog, Pritchard kept pushing himself and the car, gradually extending his lead over the stages which were also repeated in the dark on Friday evening.

After last year’s winner went out during the first stage, with the same problem Pritchard experienced in 2017, the Welshman was the first car out so had to negotiate the water first and ahead of his rivals, which was now running across the road:

“The water was a challenge but I just kept my pace at a comfortable level and we managed to build up a lead of 1 minute 40 seconds overnight. I only ended up being beaten by 0.5 seconds on one stage throughout the day so I took these positives into the start of the second day.”

The next day there was still half the rally to tackle, so Pritchard couldn’t rest on his lead. The weather was a complete contrast on the Saturday with blue skies and sunshine:

“Going into the Saturday, we had a really good lead so we knew we just had to maintain it to finish in top spot. I didn’t change my approach behind the wheel and kept at a good pace with no risks, we ended up setting the fastest time on all eight stages on that final day, ending the rally in top spot with a lead of over three minutes.”

Victory after last year’s disappointment was a brilliant way for Pritchard to bounce back and he was grateful for the team around him and the support he receives which allows him to do this:

“Once the event started we didn’t have to touch the car, it was in fantastic form, big credit must go to the boys in the service for this. The only change was from wet tyres to dry tyres on the Saturday. As always, I have to say a massive thank you to Phil Clarke, all the hard work that he put in before the event certainly paid off, without him there’s no way I would have won this event four times. “A big credit to the organisers as well for putting on such a professional event in some difficult conditions, a special thank you has to go to the marshals especially for the Friday night when they were all stood out in the pouring rain.” “Thank you also to my parents Eian and Helen for giving me the opportunity to compete, I think the result was the birthday present my Dad was hoping for and finally but so crucial to my ability to compete, thank you to my sponsors for the rally: North Road Garage, Harkness competition tyres, Pirelli and Monaville Guesthouse”

Pritchard’s victory would have been seen by thousands across the world as the event was live streamed during both the stages and the service.

Winning in the Isle of Man for a fourth time now means that the Welshman now leads the Protyre MSA Asphalt Rally Championship, the next round is in Belgium on the 9th June

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04/05/2018 by admin

PRITCHARD DETERMINED TO MAKE UP FOR 2017 SET-BACK

Three-time winner of the British Historic Rally Championship, Jason Pritchard, heads back to the Isle of Man next weekend (11th May – 12th May) determined to make up for last year’s disappointment as he looks to win on the island in this year’s MSA Asphalt Rally Championship.

Joined in his North Road Garage Ford Focus WRC05 by co-driver Phil Clarke, Pritchard will be sitting in the car for the first time since this event in 2017:

“I’ve enjoyed some amazing highs whilst driving on the Isle of Man and some serious lows, last year was a real disappointment but I’m 100% prepared to try and make amends over the two-day event. This rally is a real test for both crews and machine, I can’t wait to get back behind the wheel and to get going, I’m excited to see what we can do.”

Pritchard has enjoyed some great success on the island and became the first driver to win the Historic Rally Championship three years in a row (2014, 2015, 2016). However, he also knows how crucial it is to have luck on your side, in his debut event in 2013 he missed out on top spot by a matter of seconds after stalling at the start and in 2017 he had a 3 minute lead on the penultimate stage but an electrical fault forced the Welshman to stop for over six and half minutes. He was the fastest car out there on every stage apart from this, and this saw him finish 3rd when top spot looked destined to be his.

The 29-year-old from Builth Wells is looking forward to competiting in the darkness as the rally kicks off on the Friday evening this time round:

“I can’t wait for the Friday night stages, we don’t often get the chance to compete in the dark here in the UK, it’s an unusual but exciting challenge. I’m confident that myself and Phil can get a good recce under our belts and then it’s a case of committing to these notes.”

This year’s two-day Manx National Rally contains 130 stage miles spread over 16 special stages, in a compact route with only 120 road miles. The event begins with four separate stages – Creg-ny-Baa, Druidale, Knocksharry and Baldwins – ran twice on the Friday night, with competition continuing well past midnight.

Saturday contains another four stages – Keristal, Parville, St Mark’s and Balladoole – also ran twice. The longest stage of the event is Parville at 12.86 miles, followed by Knocksharry (12.08 miles) and Baldwins (11.34 miles).

As always, Pritchard is grateful to the support from his team and sponsors:

“I wouldn’t be able to compete without the team and support network around me, including my sponsors: North Road Garage, Harkness Competition Tyres, Pirelli and Monaville Guest House.”

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07/03/2018 by admin

PRITCHARD BACK IN ACTION THIS WEEKEND IN EPYNT

MSA British Historic Rally Champion Jason Pritchard will compete in his first race of 2018 in the Protyre MSA Asphalt Rally Championship. 

The three-time British Historic Champion, the first time any driver has won three Historic Rally Championships in a row, will line up against a number of top drivers for the Port Talbot MC-organised Melvyn Evans Motorsport Tour of Epynt this Sunday (11th March).

The 29-year-old Welshman will compete in his Fiesta S2000 on Sunday in the first of a six round series across the UK and Europe, with the season-ending Keldine Autos Cheviot Stages Rally taking place on the Otterburn Army Ranges in Northumberland at the end of October.

Before that, the crews must face five other events, starting in Epynt in Wales on Sunday, before they head for the Isle of Man in Mid May for round two. Trips to Belgium for Rally van Wervik and Northern Ireland for the Carryduff Forklift Down Rally follow, before the penultimate round back in Wales and the Old Forge Garage Mewla Rally.

Designed to cater for everything from former World Rally- specification cars all the way down to lower powered two wheel drive machinery, the championship has seen a boost in entries ahead of 2018 and Pritchard can’t wait to get going:

“I can’t wait for Sunday, it’s certainly felt a very long time since the last RAC rally. It was another fantastic season for myself and Phil, we were delighted to win our third British Historic Championship and I want to try and keep that momentum going this Sunday in Epynt. “I’m going to be driving the Fiesta on Sunday, I’ve only been behind the wheel once in the car so it will be a good chance for me to learn about the car and how it drives. I’m fully aware that I will be losing time across the faster sections, the Fiesta only has a top speed of 105mph compared to the 130pm plus that the WRC cars can achieve. “I’m really looking forward to Sunday and also our next competition which is the Rally Costa Brava out in Spain, I haven’t chance to think about that much at the moment, it’s all about performing well on the Tour of Epynt and Sunday right now! “Thanks as always to my sponsors: North Road Garage, FCS Lasermail, Harkness Competition Tyres and Pirelli.”

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