Kenyan rally driver Peter Horsey enjoyed a successful test with new co-driver, Welshman Calvin Cooledge, when the pair drove their Civicon backed Mitsubishi Evo X to ninth in the production class on the recent Mad Croc Rally Estonia, an event they contested as a warm up for the forthcoming World Rally Championship Rally Finland.
Horsey, who won the Pirelli Star Driver nomination for Africa in 2009, was tackling the fast and flowing roads around Otepaa, in South Estonia, in order to gain experience of the terrain ahead of his third WRC event which takes place at the end of August.
The 2010 Mad Croc Rally Estonia had attracted such super stars as former works Ford drive Markko Martin as well as Peter’s Pirelli Star drive team mate Ott Tanak. Whilst Ott had prior experience and ultimately went on to win the Group N category on the rally Peter was using the event as a high speed test.
At the end of the opening day Horsey and Cooledge were down in 21st in Group N, a combination of taking time to acclimatise and water feed problems costing them time. After solving a problem with the water feed to the intercooler which cured the misfire, the pair found a new turn of speed and climbed the leaderboard on every stage, eventually returning to the finish on Sunday afternoon a very impressive ninth in Group N!
Peter was happy with how the weekend had developed: “The roads are amazing, a lot more technical than I was expecting and so much fun to drive. Calvin and I have learnt a lot about each other this weekend and now I’m feeling confident ahead of WRC Rally Finland! I’d like to say a big thanks to both Priit Kinnuenn and Kulder Sikk for all of their help and assistance this weekend! I’d like to also congratulate Ott and Kuldar on finishing second overall – it’s an awesome result for them!”
Peter and Calvin will now change focus and begin preparing for the World Rally Championship Neste Oil Rally Finland where they will join the rest of the Pirelli Star Drivers from around the World for their third event of the year.
For more information on Peter please visit www.peterhorsey.com
– Credit: Geoff Mayes Media.