Rally Monte Carlo 2006: Stobart M-Sport Ford - Leg 2
The Stobart VK M-Sport Ford Rally Team of Matthew Wilson and Pieter Tjoen left Monaco at 0630 this morning, bound once more for the icy mountain passes of the French Alps, north of the Monaco base for this opening round of the 2006 FIA World Rally Championship.
Once again, the route provided a mixture of old and new. Stages like St Antonin-Toudon has always been part of the fabric of this event. The road from Sigale through Le Mas and on towards St Auban, however, hadn`t been used for 14 years. No matter how often they`re used, at this time of the year, these stretches of asphalt remain among the most challenging in the championship, with black ice, snow, slush and even gravel waiting to catch out the unwary.

Mindful of a troubled opening leg, courtesy of a bent steering arm for Matthew and a fourth-stage excursion for Pieter, both would be taking a cautious approach to leg two. Saturday`s stages, however, didn`t deliver quite the same level of difficulty in terms of surface changes. That was, until the crews arrived in La Bollene late this afternoon. In the fading light, Matthew and Pieter nosed their Fords into the last stage of the day, which included the pass over the awesome Col de Turini. This stage had everything: a true test of nerve and skill as the drivers skated their way across a surface shorn of anything resembling grip.

Matthew ran without any problems throughout the day, steadily building his speed and experience of the rally. His approach was clearly working, as he was one of the rally`s biggest climbers through leg two; he started this morning in 24th position and had moved up nine places by close of play. Matthew`s success today comes at a price, however. It means he will start first on the road tomorrow. The 18-year-old Cumbrian will lead the world`s finest rally drivers through yet more of the most technical stages on the globe on the third and final leg of the Monte Carlo Rally.

Matthew`s only trouble today came near the top of Turini, when he suffered a spin in his Focus RS WRC 05. That aside, he was delighted to have made it through leg two without any major dramas – and particularly pleased to have emerged from that final stage. It was another confidence-building day for Pieter, too. From the outset, the triple Belgian champion has made it clear that he was using this event as an exercise in learning the Focus RS WRC 04, as he`ll be driving a similar car as he attempts to clinch a fourth domestic title this season.

Matthew Wilson
“It`s been a bit of a mixed day. Some of the stages have been fantastic, really dry and good grip, giving lots of confidence. Then you go into the next one and it`s completely different again, really slippery, with lots of ice. I knew Turini was going to be tough and it lived up to its reputation. When I was sitting on the start line, I actually felt really privileged, knowing all the great drivers who had sat there before me. The stage itself was absolutely unbelievable. Let me tell you, you haven`t lived until you`ve driven through there! It was just starting to get dark when we came over the top of the Col, which added to whole experience. I could see all of the camera flashes and fires going, it was stunning – I think I even saw some Union flags flying. It was one of life`s experiences, something I`ll never forget.

“After all that, though, I was pretty pleased to see the finish. We came over the top of the Col and it was ice for about five kilometres down. I was driving so slowly, but I knew that as soon as I tried to go any quicker, we`d go off the road. I feel more comfortable with that kind of thing now. The experience is coming – and that`s what I`m here for.”

Pieter Tsjoen
“I`m not here to race with anybody – I don`t want to push the car too hard, that`s not my plan. I`m here to learn and that`s what I`m doing. Going up the Turini I was trying to be really smooth, just drifting the car on ice, really trying not to make any mistakes. As soon as you spin, you`re going to lose a lot of time. I came through with no spins and was really pleased.”

Malcolm Wilson, Team driver principal
“It`s been a good day for Matthew today. I was so pleased to see him coming through Turini. Looking at the times, it was obvious that it was at its treacherous best. That`s definitely one of the hardest stages he will ever have to drive, so to come out of it in one piece is great. He`s learned a lot today, the experience is coming. It was important for his confidence to have a trouble-free day and he`s done it. The same goes for Pieter, he`s done another solid job and is clearly getting to grips with the car and the conditions.”

Tags: stobart, matthew-wilson, monte-carlo, debut, young, driver, ford, m-sport, leg-2,