MG Complete Final Preparations For Rally GB
Published: 9th November 2002
It provided Mark Blundell with the opportunity to pick up some last minute tuition from experienced rally driver Gwyndaf Evans. Commenting on the recent testing programme Gwyndaf said: "We’ve made progress this week having made alterations to the suspension and differential to develop the car further. We have a final shakedown test on Monday before we start the Cardiff recce on Tuesday."
Mark has completed in two local events, the Bulldog Rally and the South of England Tempest Stages, to familiarise himself with the MG ZR. With the major UK rally event of the year just a few days away, Mark said: "The MG ZR Super1600 is a great car and there’s no reason why we shouldn’t turn in competitive stage times (apart from my lack of experience, of course!). Even with my limited rally experience I don’t underestimate the difficulty of the Network Q. I already have tremendous respect for the World Rally boys, as this driving is so ‘on the edge’. Rallying can make F1 look very tame – when you’re going 85 mph and faced with a 180 degree hairpin, a 1 in 4 gradient and a near vertical drop on one side, it’s hairy stuff! We need to keep out of trouble and with a bit of luck, we hope we’ll see the finish on Sunday."
Also competing in the Group N MG ZR is Mark’s ITV Formula One studio partner Tony Jardine. Tony and Maurice Hamilton, BBC Radio Five Live commentator turned co-driver, have tasted success in the MG having taken a class win at the recent South of England Tempest Stages.
In the build up to the final rally of the year, Tony said: "We are very fortunate on two counts. One to get an entry and two to be part of the MG team on the British round of the World Championship, the Network Q Rally. Whilst the big battle rages at the front we will have our own class war between the two MG ZRs of Rob Gill and myself. The pair of us will in turn be hoping to be able to beat Mark Blundell in the Super1600 MG but above all it would be fantastic to get all three cars home and claim the team award, which is why there is such a great team spirit amongst the only truly all British entry on this event."
Battling against Tony for a class win is fellow MG ZR driver Rob Gill. Rob, who works as assistant sub-editor for The Sun, will be partnered by Gary Sylvester. On looking forward to competing Rob said: "I'm raring to go. The MG has proved 100 per cent reliable on this year's Pirelli British Championship and I'll be pushing from the off. Obviously, I'd love to repeat last year's class win but just to finish would be an achievement. The Network Q Rally of Great Britain is one of the world's toughest motorsport challenges because of its fast, slippery stages and unpredictable weather. Drivers can expect rain, fog, ice and snow. There's absolutely no margin for error with ditches, trees, rocks, blind brows and even 200ft sheer drops on some stages, all waiting to catch you out. The cars take a lot of punishment on the rutted tracks, so you need a bit of luck to carry you through."
The Rally of GB is the final event in the MG Sport & Racing motorsport calendar. Looking back at the first full season Rob Oldaker, managing director commented: "2002 has been a tremendous year for MG in motorsport. We returned to the Le Mans 24-hour race in June and showed our competitive edge with the MG Lola EX257. For periods of the race we proved that the light LMP675 car could compete positively against the LMP900 cars including the eventual winner. We completed our first full season in the British Touring Car Championship with the MG ZS. A weekend of pure MG domination at Brands Hatch in August was certainly the highlight of the season. We now turn our focus to the Rally of GB and the MG ZR.
"With a four-car line-up we are determined to put
on a great British performance in front of a home crowd."
