Matthew Wilson scores 10th - FIA World Rally Championship, Acropolis

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Stobart VK M-Sport Ford Rally Team driver Matthew Wilson fought off food poisoning to finish the BP Ultimate Acropolis Rally, arguably the FIA World Rally Championship's toughest event, in tenth place after a strong and consistent run through the order where his M-Sport-run Ford Focus RS ran faultlessly to take two manufacturer points.

Harsh gravel stages littered with rocks which Wilson described as being as big as footballs characterised the 336km of competitive distance around the Greek capital of Athens with the rally starting and finishing with a Super Special in front of tens of thousands of spectators in the Olympic stadium built for the 2004 games.


Only able to eat a solitary sandwich to sustain him over the four days of the rally, Wilson drove an astute technical event mindful of the numerous setbacks that rival competitors suffered as their vehicles succumbed to the tough conditions. Before the penultimate stage Wilson and co-driver Michael Orr did have to replace a steering arm on their Ford Focus RS WRC 05, but that was it save for punctures and bent wheel rims.

With the next WRC event not taking place until August the strong performance bodes well for the second half of the 19 year-old Cumbrian's rookie season. Wilson congratulated rally winner and fellow Ford driver Marcus Gronholm, who is in a Ford Focus RS WRC 06 of the type that Wilson is scheduled to drive from Rally Japan at the beginning of September.

Whilst Wilson's run was trouble-free the same could not be said for the second Stobart VK M-Sport Ford Rally Team Focus RS with the Finnish crew of Kosti Katajamaki and Timo Alanne. The first day saw the duo in a fine 12th position despite having to battle through a stage with no power steering in ambient heat in excess of 30 degrees.

On the second day an off over rocks in the morning damaged their gearbox which failed on the final stage. Sunday saw the pair break two track rod ends and have to park their car on the second stage of the day.

Despite the WRC 'summer holiday,' football fan Wilson has a busy schedule ahead to fit around supporting England in the forthcoming FIFA World Cup. He heads to Edinburgh on Tuesday for an MSA British Rally Elite day, then in two weeks he will contest the Shell Donegal Rally in the VK Focus of Steve Perez who today starts the second day of Rally Barbados in fourth place overall.   
                                       
Stobart VK M-sport Ford Rally Team driver Matthew Wilson says: "It's good to get to the end of the rally. We had a drama before the end of the penultimate stage with the steering arm and we had to change it, but that was the only mechanical problem we've had. The car took a real battering so it was good to be at the end and with manufacturer points too. Compared to the dramas of the last event in Sardinia, mechanically it has been a dream come true. It's been a tough old rally, we knew after the recce it would be a tough rally and it certainly lived up to its reputation."

 
Stobart VK M-sport Ford Rally Team co-driver Michael Orr says: "The last stage was a nightmare, it was so rough, just look at the damage on the car and the wheels! It wasn't enjoyable at all.  Overall it was a good event, a very hard, hot and rough one. It was a proper Acropolis Rally, the first for a while so it's nice to get round without any real problems with the car, which has been amazing."

Stobart VK M-sport Ford Rally Team driver Kosti Katajamaki says: "In the first stage this morning we had a puncture. The mousse worked so we could keep on driving but then the tyre exploded and we were driving on the rim which eventually broke the steering arm which we had to stop and change in the stage. We continued and everything was okay until the second stage. We came over a jump and landed badly off the road and the steering broke again. We were lucky to stay on all four wheels and be able to stop safely. It has been my worse rally ever."

Stobart VK M-sport Ford Rally team principal Malcolm Wilson says: "Matthew has driven fantastically. To get to the end in such a difficult Acropolis Rally and to get through relatively unscathed is quite remarkable. It shows maturity way above his years and full credit to the job that he has done. The car has run faultlessly with only a steering arm needing changing, and when you see how rough the stages have been it's no wonder most of the field have suffered some problems. When Matthew looks back on the rally he will see it as a landmark, he had to drive the stages slowly to get a good result. For Matthew's first Acropolis Rally tenth overall is fantastic. In contrast Kosti had a disastrous day today and I'm disappointed for him." 

More information is available on Stobart Motorsport’s website at: http://www.stobartmotorsport.com

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