British rally driver Harry Hunt has spent the day with Skoda UK Motorsport on the Goodwood Forest Rally Stage where he got to power around the 1.6-mile gravel course in the Fabia Super 2000.
There as part of the MSA Team UK project, 22-year-old Harry was invited to drive the Intercontinental Rally Challenge-winning car around the stage designed to push drivers to their limits with its wide variety of corner types, varying grip levels and intimidating narrow sections. At the end of the day when the data was reviewed, it turns out Harry’s lack of four-wheel-drive experience didn’t hold him back.
“It was sick!” exclaimed Harry. “The stage was really demanding, which just made the whole thing even more exciting. I’ve only driven a four-wheel-drive car once before, on the Wyedean earlier this year, but this Fabia S2000 is something else. The power is incredible but so is the steering and handling. Being able to control the car mid-corner on the power is awesome. This has been a fantastic opportunity for me.
“When I finished I went through the data with the engineers and I did much better than I thought I would. I was a bit nervous at first, but once I’d settled into it, I really started to get more out of the car. It was unbelievable to have the chance to compare my data to that of Andreas Mikkelsen and Juho Hanninen, who had been driving the stage all weekend as part of the Festival of Speed.”
“I’d like to say thanks to Skoda UK Motorsport for letting me and the other Team UK drivers use their car and engineers to develop our skills.”
Harry is now preparing for his next outing in his Citroen DS3 R3, the IRC Rally Azores (15/16 July 2011), where he will continue to defend the 2WD Cup.
People at home can keep up with Harry’s exploits through his regularly-updated Twitter feed (www.twitter.com/harryhuntrally), his Facebook page (www.facebook.com/harryhuntmotorsport) and his website (www.harryhuntmotorsport.com).
