Monte Carlo Rallye 2006: Stobart M-Sport Ford - Leg 1
The much-anticipated start of the Stobart VK M-Sport Ford Rally Team`s involvement in the World Rally Championship was delayed after traffic problems on the way to this morning`s first loop of stages on the Monte Carlo Rally.
Matthew Wilson and Pieter Tsjoen, driving a brace of Stobart VK-decaled Ford Focus RS WRC 04s, were looking forward to three tests in the French Alps, north of the event`s base in Monaco. Unfortunately for the duo, the narrow roads had been blocked by two buses. Despite being only two kilometres from the start of stage one, there was no way through and the organisers were forced to cancel.

Matthew and Pieter finally got their chance at a little after 1430 this afternoon, when the re-run of the morning`s stages began without any problems. Much of the snow and ice had melted from the roads by the time the world`s finest rally drivers arrived for the afternoon competition. The conditions allowed Matthew and Pieter to use slick, racing tyres, offering sensational grip on the dry asphalt but zero resistance on any lingering patches of ice.

Matthew posted a highly-respectable 17th fastest time on his first test, while Pieter slid off the road and into one of the many snow banks lining the road. He dropped five minutes digging the car out of the bank and would spend the next two stages racing back through the field, trying to make up for the time loss.
After another top-20 time on SS5, Matthew was settling in and feeling more comfortable with the conditions. Unfortunately, that didn`t last. Close to the finish of the day`s final test, he clipped a rock on the outside of the corner and bent a steering arm. He made it to the end of the stage, where he tried to fix the problem. Unfortunately the repair didn`t last and he retired on the road section back to Monaco.

Matthew will re-start tomorrow`s second leg – and remains in the overall classification – under the SuperRally regulations, with a five-minute penalty for failing to complete the leg-one route.

Matthew Wilson`s Ford Focus RS WRC 04 suffered steering damage after he clipped a rock near the end of SS6. Otherwise both his M-Sport-run and the sister car of Pieter Tsjoen ran without fault.

Matthew Wilson
“What a day! After all the build-up to this event, I was so keen to get on with the driving this morning. I`d taken a studded tyre, which would have worked really well in the icy conditions, but then we never even got the chance to compete. It made the nerves a little bit worse, just sitting in the traffic waiting to start. We stalled in SS4, my first in the rally, and dropped 20s, but okay, the tyres were working and I was feeling happy with the car. It was the same in SS5: everything was good. There was a section of about six kilometres, towards the end of the stage, which was pure ice.

“We got through without any problems and I`d learned a lot about what speed you can drive in these conditions – maybe I backed off too much, but I just wanted to get to the end. Then, on the final stage, things weren`t so good. I clipped a rock on the outside of a corner and damaged the front-left steering arm. After the stage, I tried to put a new arm on the car, but the steering rack was damaged. We had to put the old arm back on and continue. Unfortunately this broke about half-way back to Monaco. It`s so disappointing this has happened, but the Monte Carlo Rally is full of these kind of stories. The positive thing is that I can continue tomorrow. I need to carry on, I need more experience and that`s what I`ll be looking for.”

Pieter Tsjoen
“Both times I`ve done the Monte Carlo Rally before, I`ve had problems on the opening day. I really hoped I`d left that behind this year. Unfortunately, I hadn`t. I hit a rock in stage four, which spun the car across the road and into a snow bank on the opposite side. With the car buried in the snow, my co-driver and I weren`t going to be able to get it out. We managed to get some spectators to come and help us, but still we lost about five minutes. Apart from that problem, I`ve also had some difficulties with my pace notes. Basically, I`m driving at a higher speed than we thought we would be and the notes are a little bit too slow – we`re trying to work around this. It`s been frustrating, but tomorrow`s another day – and this is certainly a fantastic car.”

Malcolm Wilson, Team driver principal
“Monte Carlo is one of the toughest – if not the toughest – challenges in the World Rally Championship, and today, Matthew and Pieter found out why. It`s a shame for both of them. The main thing for both now, though, is that they get out tomorrow and get some experience: that`s the only thing that counts on this event.”


Tags: stobart, matthew-wilson, monte-carlo, debut, young, driver, ford, m-sport, leg-1,