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=42 06/01/2006 Eddie Stobart Motorsport embarks on a new era in two weeks time when the Rally Team competes on the first round of this year’s FIA World Rally Championship in southern France, the Monte Carlo Rally. Arguably the most evocative and glamorous names in the world of motor sport, both Monaco and the Monte Carlo Rally, are known throughout the world, even by those whose sporting interests lie elsewhere. But competitors in this first round of the world series will have no time for celebrity spotting, this is one of the toughest tests in the calendar. Run over the twisting mountain roads of the French Alps, competitors will be faced with everything from sun-dried tarmac to ice-slicked roads as they climb high amongst the peaks. Unpredictable, fast and challenging, the only glitter here will come from the frost encrusted foliage. Spearheading the team will be Matthew Wilson and Michael Orr driving an M-Sport prepared Ford Focus WRC04, but in addition to the season long programme, Eddie Stobart Motorsport and partners, the energy drink company Vodka Kick, have agreed to support a second car entry in the world series. Following negotiations with M-Sport, who will campaign the official two-car Ford Motor Company works team with star drivers Marcus Gronholm and Mikko Hirvonen, Stobart Motorsport has been entrusted with the management of the official two-car Ford Number 2 team. Throughout the 16 round series, Wilson and Orr will be joined by a variety of successful young drivers who are being offered a chance to compete at the sport’s highest level. Joining the Brits on this first round will be multiple Belgian Rally Champions Pieter Tsjoen and Eddy Chevalier in the second Stobart VK M-Sport Ford Focus. Said Andrew Tinkler, Chairman of Eddie Stobart Ltd: “Our business in the UK has benefited from our involvement in British rallying over the past two years and this foray on to the world stage marks our next logical step. The Eddie Stobart name and business is already well known in Europe and we want to build on that through this programme, but as the world grows smaller and the whole business of transport logistics takes on a world perspective then this latest venture will help us spread the word to a bigger audience and potentially to a bigger client base.” http://www.stobartmotorsport.com/wrc_news.asp?NewsID=38 23/12/2005 “It’s going to be massive next year”, said a delighted Matthew Wilson, “but people should not expect too much. It’s going to be a big learning curve for me. Every event will be new to me apart from the Wales Rally GB, which I’ve done twice, but all the others will be brand new!” Britain’s 18 year old (he’ll be 19 next month!) world rallying hope was talking about his deal to contest all 16 rounds of next year’s World Rally Championship: “It’s going to be mega, getting the chance to do the world championship and it’s all down to Eddie Stobart Motorsport, Vodka Kick and of course M-Sport who look after the official Ford World Rally Team.” The Background Eddie Stobart Motorsport was created two years ago with two aims in mind, firstly to promote the company’s transport, logistics and warehousing services to a wider audience both at home and abroad, and secondly to support rising British talent in the sport of rallying. In its first year of operation, Eddie Stobart Motorsport assisted a number of young drivers and supported a number of initiatives which culminated in winning this year’s British Rally Championship title outright with Mark Higgins, and winning the British Group N Championship with Barry Clark. The company also spotted the potential of another rising star, Matthew Wilson. Last year (2004) in his first season of rallying he almost won the British title at his first attempt, but any thoughts he had of capturing the title this year disappeared violently when he crashed heavily during a rally in Wales. He bounced back with a vengeance winning the Trackrod Rally in Yorkshire outright, his first international win and also the youngest winner ever of a round of the prestigious British Rally Championship! The Deal Wilson therefore gets his big chance next year courtesy of Eddie Stobart Motorsport and Vodka Kick, the energy drink manufacturers. With a change to the FIA World Championship rules, manufacturers can nominate a two-car ‘Number 2’ team in addition to their official ‘works team’ two car entry. For his first foray into the World series, Wilson will be partnered by the vastly experienced Michael Orr (from Bangor) who co-drove for Antony Warmbold in last year’s World series in a Ford Focus WRC. Wilson will drive a Ford Focus 05 spec machine in next year’s championship: “I’ve actually started work on the car in readiness for the opening round of the 2006 series, the Monte Carlo Rally at the end of January in southern France. Although I don’t actually work full-time in the M-Sport business, I have been doing a lot of work on my own car over the past two years. It’s great experience.” When asked if he was now a professional rally driver, Wilson laughed: “It’s certainly a professional championship, but I don’t know about me being a ‘professional rally driver’ - although I won’t have time to do anything else with a 16 round championship to prepare for and contest.” Wilson only finished school earlier this year and was pondering his options prior to the Eddie Stobart deal: “I was looking at college or university, but I think I’ll make 2006 my official ‘gap’ year and then look at my options at the end of next year. Yes, I’d like to be a professional rally driver, but it’s a tough sport and it’s always nice to have something to fall back on.” “To get this opportunity thanks to Eddie Stobart and Vodka Kick so early in my career is just too good to miss but hopefully people’s expectations won’t be too high for me. I just want to get out there and get experience of the events and then maybe in 2007 get a chance to go back and get some results. The big advantage I have is that I have already been driving the Eddie Stobart Ford Focus which I know is rally-proven and reliable, so if I can rack up a lot of finishes next year that will be the best start.” Announcing the deal, Andrew Tinkler, Eddie Stobart Managing Director said: “I’ve always been interested in the sport and our involvement over the past two years has been beneficial to the business, so we’re delighted to be in a position to help a talented youngster like Matthew. We need someone to follow in the wheeltracks of Colin McRae and the late Richard Burns, so if we can help Matthew to become the next British world champion that would help put the ‘Great’ back in ‘Britain’. The Competition The action starts next month when the Eddie Stobart Vodka Kick M-Sport Ford Focus team head for Monaco and the South of France for the first round of the 2006 FIA World Rally Championship, the Monte Carlo Rally at the end of January. From that moment on, it’s non stop rally action all the way till the first week in December back home in the UK for the final round of the world series, Wales Rally GB. In between times Matthew and Michael will visit 15 different countries – and see none of them, except as a blur through the windscreen. Game on! http://www.stobartmotorsport.com/wrc_news.asp?NewsID=39