Acropolis : Stobart M-Sport Ford - Leg 1It was a trouble free first day for Stobart VK M-Sport Ford Rally Team driver Matthew Wilson in the BP Ultimate Acropolis Rally though the 19 year-old Brit's performance potential was blunted by the effects of energy-sapping food
poisoning in the searing heat around the Greek capital, Athens.
With stages that he described as the roughest he has ever driven, Wilson and co-driver Michael Orr ended their first day of Wilson's first Acropolis Rally in 15th place in the overall rally standings, but crucially with an undamaged Stobart VK M-Sport Ford Rally Team Ford Focus RS WRC 05.
Despite feeling very far from full health Wilson still managed to end the day placed just under a second behind one manufacturer rival and over eight seconds ahead of another and his M-Sport service crew only needed to complete a routine service on his car before it takes to the 135km of competitive distance over six stages on Saturday.
The BP Ultimate Acropolis Rally, the eighth round of the FIA World Rally Championship, started on Thursday evening with an electrifying Super Special in front of more than 40,000 spectators in the Olympic Stadium including President of Greece, Karolos Papoulias.
In Wilson's run however the rearmost extremity of his Focus RS, the exhaust tailpipe, made contact with the barriers as Wilson wowed the crowds. The sound of the car changed somewhat and Wilson was unable to put in a top time in his car meaning that his service crew did have to start the day by replacing the part in the ten minute morning service which opened the day.
Driving the second Stobart VK M-Sport Ford Rally Team Focus RS Finn Kosti Katajamaki ended Friday in the final manufacturer points position and in twelfth overall after a tough but enjoyable day's rallying. Katajamaki suffered from a loss of power steering on the final stage of the morning in the car he shares with co-driver Timo Alanne and numerous punctures in the afternoon, but was relieved to get to the end of the day in a strong position for the remaining two legs.
Saturday will be an even tougher test for the two Stobart cars as the rally's longest stage, the challenging 37km Kineta, will be run twice.
Matthew Wilson
"I can't wait to get to bed after today. I've been trying to drink as much as I can through the day but if anything I've felt worse and eating at lunch didn't help. But once you're out on the route and you put your helmet on you forget about being ill and get on with the job. The heat has been quite something; once you've got hot on the first stage that's it for the rest of the day. The stages in the afternoon were unbelievable, I've never driven a stage so rough in my life."
Michael Orr
“It's been very rough. You get sections like that on other rallies but never entire stages, especially of that length. We had three punctures in the afternoon, one on the first stage then two on the next meaning we went into the last stage with only one spare. The notes have been very good all day today, although we could make improvements on the second stage. It's hard to have confidence when it's so rough.”
Kosti Katajamaki
"We had three punctures after the first stage this afternoon and then only had one spare so we kept swapping tyres. The rims were damaged so we could feel vibrations the whole time. The power steering was fixed at the service stop and the M-Sport crew did a brilliant job, there wasn't a single problem in the afternoon. Tomorrow will be even harder but despite the tough stages it has been fun today."
Malcolm Wilson, Team Principal
"Today was a real test for Matthew to get through as obviously he wasn't in the best of health. I'm really pleased especially as he is less than a second behind Andreas Aigner. It's a bit of a shame that the placing means he's running first on the road on Saturday, which is not the best situation, but it's another learning curve. He's driven sensibly and I told him to stay out of trouble, but tomorrow will be even worse. I'm pleased he's been in front of the likes of Harri Rovenpera as that takes good pace. Kosti has done well to be on the last manufacturer point, especially considering the conditions."
Press release Stobart M-Sport Ford
