Five Fiesta R2 entries will tackle a mixed gravel and asphalt affair in the Tarragona region in north-east Spain next week for the penultimate round of this year’s Fiesta SportTrophy International (FSTi) championship.
Only three points currently separate the top two drivers so the stage is set for a thrilling fight between Harry Hunt and Bader Al Jabri as the battle for the 2010 FSTi championship title continues with only two rounds remaining.
The seven-round series follows the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) calendar and this year’s RACC Rally de España will mark the fifth time that the M-Sport run series has visited the region.
The event will kick off with a ceremonial start on Thursday 21 October in Salou and the three-day rally will feature a total distance of 1,310 km, comprising of 16 special stages covering 355 km. Friday’s stages will provide a new challenge for all drivers as they consist of a mix of gravel and asphalt road surfaces, but Saturday and Sunday’s route will feature the traditional asphalt tests only.
Two FSTi crews will have an advantage at this event as both Bader Al Jabri and Majed Al Shamsi contested last year’s Rally de España. Al Jabri will be looking to take full advantage of the experience he gained from last year’s rally to claim a victory and to snatch the championship lead from the current series leader, British Harry Hunt. However, with two dropped scores permitted, there are still five drivers who have a mathematical chance of taking the championship at this stage: Harry Hunt, Bader Al Jabri, Victor Henriksson, Christian Riedemann and Majed Al Shamsi.
28 – Harry Hunt (22) & Sebastian Marshall (22) – Fiesta R2
FSTi position: 1
After claiming their second victory of the year at the Rallye de France, Harry Hunt and Sebastian Marshall are back at the top of the championship standings. This will be the sixth Tarmac rally of the year in the Fiesta R2 for the British pairing. The duo is fresh from victory in France and will be looking to score a winning hat-trick in Spain to enhance their likelihood of a championship title. This event will almost certainly see Hunt and Marshall crowned as 2010 FIA Junior World Rally Championship (J-WRC) Rookie Champions. Having competed on the RAC MSA Rally of Scotland the weekend prior to the Rally de España, Hunt will be looking to build on the valuable experience he has gained from driving the Fiesta R2 on asphalt thus far to strengthen his chances of winning the series title.
FSTi leader, Harry Hunt (22), said:
“I’m feeling really confident about going to Spain after our victory in France. I’m competing in the rally in Scotland this weekend and I think will give us good experience ahead of this event, especially as the majority of the first day’s stages in Spain will be on gravel. I think the mix of surfaces in Spain will be interesting, but it’s a new concept on this rally so I’m not sure what to expect. Christian [Riedemann] is very good on Tarmac and Bader [Al Jabri] has also found a lot of pace on Tarmac this year, so I think it will be a close fight. The first day is going to be crucial; we’re fast on gravel and if we put in some good times and collect stage wins on Friday then I think we could be on track for another win.”
75 – Bader Al Jabri (25) & Stephen McAuley – Fiesta R2
FSTi position: 2
Team Abu Dhabi members Bader Al Jabri and co-driver Stephen McAuley have already racked up four podium finishes in this year’s FSTi series, but are yet to secure a victory. The pair will be looking to secure their first win at next weekend’s event to try and close the three point gap on Hunt. Al Jabri contested last year’s Rally de España, but was forced to retire on the final day after a series of drive problems. However, the 25-year-old driver favours Tarmac and his past knowledge of competing in Spain should give him the confidence he needs to snatch the championship lead from Hunt.
73 – Christian Riedemann (23) & Josefine Beinke (18) – Fiesta R2
FSTi position: 4
Christian Riedemann and Josefine Beinke claimed their first FSTi victory at ADAC Rallye Deutschland in August, but the pair was less fortunate at the recent Rallye de France when they were forced to retire on the final stage due to a suspected cooler failure. However, Riedemann is keen to replicate his strong performance from Germany and to also build on the experience gained from Rallye de France and Neste Oil Rally Finland where he led the FSTi but was forced to retire on Day 3 of both events. The young driver is currently only ten points behind Victor Henriksson who lies third and with the Swede choosing to sit this round out, Riedemann will be aiming for a healthy points finish in order to move into the top three. Make no mistake, however; the pressure is on Riedemann to win in Spain in order to retain a mathematical chance of championship victory, as the promising young German’s budget does not currently extend to an entry for the final round at Wales Rally GB.
74 – Majed Al Shamsi & Allan Harryman – Fiesta R2
FSTi position: 5
Majed Al Shamsi and Allan Harryman have claimed two podium finishes in this year’s FSTi series, finishing first at the Vodafone Rally de Portugal and second at ADAC Rallye Deutschland. However, a retirement at the Rallye de France was less fortunate for the Team Abu Dhabi pairing. Al Shamsi’s experience on Tarmac was previously limited to 2009’s Rally de España, but, after a strong performance at ADAC Rallye Deutschland, the Emirate has proved himself as a tough competitor to beat on sealed surface events. Despite a string of problems at last year’s event, the Emirate’s knowledge of the Spanish Tarmac stages will hold him in good stead for a healthy points haul. Al Shamsi is currently only one point from claiming fourth position, but with two points scoring rounds still remaining, it is not inconceivable that he could steal championship glory at Wales Rally GB, providing he has a strong finish in Spain.
76 – Khalil Al Shaikh (27) & Killian Duffy (27) – Fiesta R2
FSTi position: 8=
Khalil Al Shaikh and Killian Duffy make up the final crew in Spain. The Team Abu Dhabi duo competed in their first WRC round in Germany where they finished an impressive fourth overall in FSTi. Prior to Germany, Al Shaikh had been busy building up his rally experience over the past two years competing in the FIA Middle East Rally Championship. On the back of his strong performance at ADAC Rallye Deutschland, the 27-year-old will be aiming for a podium finish to mark his debut at the Rally de España.
FSTi drivers will be competing for an all-expenses-paid test in M-Sport’s Ford Fiesta S2000 with BP Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team driver Mikko Hirvonen, with the chance to discuss the test with the flying Finn and M-Sport Managing Director Malcolm Wilson OBE. A prize fund is also available from which the winner of each rally will receive a €1,500 M-Sport voucher.
As in previous years, the series winner plus one ‘wildcard’ will be put forward to the FST International Shootout to compete against drivers from other FST championships around the world in order to win a year’s contract to work at M-Sport with the BP Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team.
Of the seven counting rounds, the best points from five rounds will count towards the championship standings. This will allow those drivers who have completed the full season to drop any low scores, but will also assist those drivers who are only able to compete on an event-by-event basis to score highly overall if they achieve good results on an occasional basis. Scoring for 2010 will be as per FIA scoring, but with one point awarded for each stage win in order to reward drivers for demonstrations of outright pace.
Teams will also be competing for the Muc-Off Motorsport Cleaning Best Presented Car Award, which will be offered on each event and the winning team will receive a Muc-Off prize pack.
– Credit: M-Sport.