Wilks first in for RallyScotlandposted in RSCOT08 | 09 | 2010
THE MAN WHO won the inaugural RallyScotland last year, Skoda's Guy Wilks, has been quick off the mark again by becoming the first driver to register for this year's Perth-based event on October 15-17.
The Darlington driver, who took the victory after the Peugeot of Ireland's Kris Meeke was disqualified for a technical infringement, can't wait to get back into the Scottish forests for the penultimate round of the Intercontinental Rally Championship.
"It's just over five weeks away and I can already feel the excitement beginning to build," Wilks, who will again be co-driven in the Skoda Fabia Facelift S2000 by Phil Pugh, said yesterday (Wed). "Having won the event last year, we’re really looking forward to returning to try and defend our crown.
“The stages are some of the best I’ve ever driven on anywhere in the world and it was great that these hidden gems were uncovered by the international rally scene in 2009, because they certainly deserve their place on an international calendar.
“This year’s rally is one month earlier than before, so the conditions should be a lot nicer for competitors and spectators alike. I’m expecting a cracking entry to come to Scotland this year, and everyone will be absolutely flat-out from the very beginning.
"Winning the event for a second time in two years won’t be easy, but that’s our aim and we’ll be doing our very best to make it happen."
Many more top-line names from factory-supported teams including Skoda plus Peugeot, Proton, Ford and Subaru are expected to join Wilks/Pugh for the Scottish event – among them 2009 IRC Champion Meeke and Scot Alister McRae in his Proton Neo Satria.
The first Scot has also entered the event. Stonehaven's Barry Groundwater has lodged his entry for the National-seeded rally that he won in 2009 and which runs on the Sunday following the main IRC event.
Groundwater, a front-runner in the Scottish Rally Championship, will contest the event in his Mitsubishi Lancer Evo.
Jim McGill