Rally Mexico : Stobart M-Sport Ford - Leg 2
After a career-best sixth in the overall standings on the first day of Corona Rally Mexico, it was a contrast of fortunes for Matthew Wilson in the Stobart VK M-Sport Ford Rally Team at the start of the second leg.
The 19-year-old retired from the leg after making contact with a rock bank on the first stage of the day. Although Wilson and co-driver Michael Orr were uninjured, the suspension of their Ford Focus RS WRC 05 was damaged beyond roadside repair, meaning a return to service on a recovery vehicle, and to the rally for Sunday under SupeRally regulations.

Wilson`s impact came just a kilometre into the 25.23km El Zauco 1 stage, when a bump in the middle of a right-hand bend threw the Focus off the line and into the bank on the exit. A front wheel and suspension arms were damaged, while one of the mounts was partially ripped from the subframe. Wilson and Orr attempted to repair the car at the side of the road but the damage was such that they were unable to even remove the damaged wheel, let alone fashion a repair to get them to the end of the stage.

The Focus was returned to the service park for repair by the M-Sport squad, who discovered the force of the impact was sufficient to partially bend the chassis around the subframe mount. All the damaged parts were replaced so Wilson and Orr can tackle the final three stages of the rally making up tomorrow`s third and final leg.

The sister Ford Focus RS WRC 05 of Luis Perez Companc had a trouble-free day, with Companc and co-driver Jose Maria Volta ending the day in 13th place after this evening`s Nextel Superspecial test.

Matthew Wilson
“About a kilometre into the first stage this morning we basically went wide coming out of a dip on a third-gear corner and hit a bank on the outside. We bounced along the bank which did quite a bit of damage to the steering. The steering arm, the cross-member and even up into the floor as well were all damaged. If the cross-member hadn`t been bent we`d have got away with it, and at least got out of the stage and been able to change a steering arm. The corner had felt really good; we`d braked, turned in well, but it was just the way the dip and the compression went which flicked the car sideways. We took the corner at what we thought was the right speed, it didn`t really seem like a big problem. Our biggest priority once we`d stopped was slowing the cars and making sure nobody hit us as we were in a bad place. We tried to fix the car but it`s not easy when you`re on uneven ground and you`ve got it jacked up and there are still cars going flat out past you. We had a good go; but it just wasn`t to be.”

Luis Perez Companc
“I`m trying to drive safe. I want to finish the rally I don`t want to have any problems. So many cars are having offs, so I`m just driving in the middle of the road and keeping the car safe. The last stages at the end of the loops were without brakes but in the first part I could go fast and it felt good. For tomorrow I like very much the stages, but I have liked all the stages on this rally. There are three runs, with one of 38km - where I`m really going to have to take care. I`m happy the car is in one piece, I hit it a lot as it is very, very rough, but it is good. I`m happy.”

Malcolm Wilson, Team Principal
“After a great day yesterday, I certainly know there`s no-one more frustrated than Matthew today. He just got caught out with a bump in the middle of the corner in a narrow section and it caught him when he had lock on. We can get him out now under SupeRally rules so he`s going to do the longest stage of the rally, which is so vital at this point in his career. It`s incredible that all four Ford drivers here on this rally have had accidents and things that have stopped them. What can you say to your son, when you`ve got a double world champion in Marcus Gronholm who`s gone off, and his team-mate Mikko Hirvonen, who was fighting for the lead, then went off on the same stage. For Matthew to go off in the first time that he`s driven here when he was doing so well I can`t really say much; it`s all part of the process he needs to go through to get to the top. ”

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