Clark steps-up for Welsh WRC challenge

24 November, 2007 12:00:00

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For the final round of the 2007 FIA World Rally Championship, Wales Rally GB, Fiesta SportingTrophy International series winner Barry Clark will swap two-wheel-drive for four as he hops in the driver’s seat of a Group N Subaru Impreza N12.

The lad from Aberdeen will be using the Impreza regularly driven by current British Rally Champion Mark Higgins who will be using his car from the Production World Rally Championship for this event. Backed by the Stobart Motorsport outfit and family business Clark Commercials, it will be the perfect opportunity for Clark to showcase his talents against the world’s best production drivers after a splendid year in the FSTi series; which he dominated, winning five of the six rounds he competed on.

The last time Clark drove a production car in a championship was in the 2005 BRC where he won the overall group N title against the UK’s top production drivers. The 25-year-old’s last event in a four-wheel-drive car was back on the Speyside Stages Rally where he led group N after four stages and was just 16 seconds off the leading WRC car until mechanical issues on stage 5 retired him from the event.

This year Clark’s performances have been nothing short of superb and as a result many opportunities have begun to arise for the young Scottish driver. He was entrusted with demonstration runs in M-Sport’s Ford Focus WRC at the Chatsworth Rally Show earlier in the year..

Wales Rally GB is set to be yet another cracking event with 115 entries and 360 kilometres of high-impact forest rally action. Conditions can be very tough, especially in bad weather, but it will be the perfect opportunity for Clark to turn a few heads as he races off the start-line in the number 64 Impreza.

With regular co-driver Scott Martin not available due to PWRC duties, Clark will be joined by Welshman Aled Davies for the event who has good knowledge of the stages on his home nation’s WRC round.

FST International Champion Barry Clark said:

“It has been a bit of a challenge leading up to this rally but everything has come together now which is great. The plan for this event will be to take things slowly and wind my way back into the four-wheel-drive car. We had a good run at the Speyside Stages Rally in a Group N car this year but for this event I think the overall plan will be to get through all the stages and do the miles in another world championship event. While this is essentially my home event I have only done it once properly so it will be a great experience. We haven’t had enough time to prepare to expect to be fighting the top PWRC and BRC guys but it will be interesting to get a gauge of where I am against the world’s best production drivers.”

Event Information

Date: 29-2 December 2007

Round: 16 of 16 FIA World Rally Championship

Based: Cardiff, Wales

Stage surface: Gravel

Total distance: 1271.94km (360 competitive)

Number of stages: 17

Number of different stage venues: 9

Maximum number of times the same stage roads are used: 2

Longest stage: 28.89km (stage 14 & 16)

Highest elevation on stage: 420 metres above sea level (stage 2 & 5)

Central Service Park: Swansea Docklands