info@intramega.com 12/01/2006 Stobart Motorsport is now able to confirm its exciting plans for the Stobart VK Rally Team for the 2006 rally season. Although the team revealed its World Championship ambitions just before Christmas with a two-car Ford Focus World Rally Car line-up for rising British star Matthew Wilson in one car and a second car aimed at offering a World Championship chance to other talented drivers, that was only part of the story. Over recent weeks the rally rumour mill has been rife regarding the Team’s additional plans for the 2006 MSA British Rally Championship and these can now be confirmed. The Stobart VK Team will contest Britain’s premier rally series with two Ford Fiesta Super 1600 rally cars for the 29 year old Czech international rally star, Roman Kresta, and the current British Group N Champion, 23 year old Barry Clark. The two Ford Fiestas will join the brace of Group N Subaru Imprezas which will also be running under the Stobart VK banner. And the good news here is that Mark Higgins will be back to defend his British Championship title. He will drive one of the Group N Imprezas and will be joined for the season by former Group N Champion Julian Reynolds. This latest announcement gives the 2006 MSA British Rally Championship management team a real boost for its ambitious new-look structure for the coming season. Under the new rules, World Rally Cars and some Group A machinery are no longer able to score points in the MSA British Championship with Group N cars now taking on the starring role. Roman Kresta will combine his appearances in the BRC alongside his ‘day job’ as official test driver to the works BP-Ford World Rally Team. He has been instrumental in helping the Cumbrian based M-Sport operation develop the new Ford Focus World Rally Car and will also pursue a programme of testing and development for the new Ford Fiesta Super 1600 machine. His entry in the BRC demonstrates Ford’s commitment to the new-look British Championship while giving the team valuable feedback on Ford’s latest rallying project. The return of Mark Higgins is good news too. Having scored his British championship victory at the wheel of a World Rally Car last year, there were fears that Mark would not be back to defend his title at the wheel of a Group N car, but he has worked hard at putting a deal together and will again run under the Stobart VK banner. Announcing the new team line-up, Andrew Tinkler, Eddie Stobart Chairman said: “Following on from the successes of 2005 and the continuing growth of the Stobart Motorsport brand, it's great to be able to support the BRC again and also give our drivers an opportunity to progress. We hope to build on the success we achieved last year while giving rally fans and Eddie Stobart Fan Club members even more to cheer this coming season.” ** More information available on Stobart Motorsport’s website at: www.stobartmotorsport.com ** http://www.stobartmotorsport.com/wrc_news.asp?NewsID=41 03/12/2005 Newly crowned ANCRO National Rally Champion Paul Bird couldn’t quite round off a successful season in the manner he’d have liked with outright victory but instead had to settle for second place on today’s Coppermines Grizedale Stages Rally based in his native Lake District. After selling his own championship winning car earlier in the week, Bird had to resort to the ex Mark Higgins Stobart Motorsport Ford Focus WRC to contest the event under strict instructions not to damage the car which is also up for sale! A steady run through the opening two Grizedale stages saw Bird from Penrith, and Northallerton co-driver Ian Windress, arrive at first service just over half a minute down on rally leader Guy Wilks (Hyundai Accent WRC) but the pair upped the pace on the short stages of Dunnerdale to consolidate second place going into the final twenty miles. A time consuming spin and an overshoot scuppered any chances of Bird going all out for victory on the last pair of tests and as a result, had to settle for runner up placing for the second time in as many years. “I’m happy enough with second place under the circumstances as I found it hard to adjust to the car and finishing second to a World Championship quality driver like Guy Wilks is nothing to be ashamed of. I was under strict orders to bring the car home without any problems and that’s what we did without too many dramas. I’d also like to take this opportunity to say a special thank you to Andrew and William at Stobart Motorsport and everyone at Dom Buckley Motorsport for providing me with such a memorable and superb season” said the Cumbrian who made it eleven successive rally finishes with his success. http://www.stobartmotorsport.com/wrc_news.asp?NewsID=40