Britain’s Harry Hunt celebrated his victory in the Fiesta SportTrophy International today as he took to the wheel of an award-winning Ford Fiesta S2000.
2009 FIA World Rally Championship runner-up Mikko Hirvonen found himself in the co-driver’s seat as he offered advice to 22-year-old Hunt who drove M-Sport’s new generation rally car around a specially constructed rally stage at Carlisle Airport.
The day finished with Hirvonen taking to the wheel of the car to give the young driver a final spin around the course offering an insight into the level of driving that Hunt is hoping to emulate.
Hunt’s stunning performance in this year’s FSTi series saw him rack up an impressive 34 stage wins and three outright victories at Rally of Turkey, Rallye de France and last week’s series finale at Wales Rally GB.
Fiesta SportTrophy International Shootout winner Stephen Barker from Kerikeri in New Zealand also took to the wheel of a Ford Fiesta S2000 and received tuition from Britain’s leading FIA World Rally Championship driver, Matthew Wilson.
Barker won the opportunity to spend the afternoon with Wilson as a result of winning this season’s Shootout which was held at M-Sport earlier this week. The Kiwi driver made the most of this chance and completed approximately 30 km in the car.
The 22-year-old also won this year’s FST New Zealand championship, the Group N two-wheel-drive New Zealand championship title in the Vantage NZ Rally Championship and is the current recipient of the Rising Stars Scholarship.
FSTi champion Harry Hunt said: “The car is amazing, I’ve done about 100 km this morning – it’s such a huge difference from my car [Ford Fiesta R2]. The power, the speed and the strength of the braking is unbelievable. It’s amazing to watch someone like Mikko drive round exactly the same track as myself – he makes it look so easy. He was very precise and has such good car control. He gave some really good driving tips and made me realise how important it is to keep the car as tidy as possible. It’s been a great day – to be taught by one of the world’s best rally drivers this morning has been a once in a lifetime opportunity.”
BP Ford Abu Dhabi’s Mikko Hirvonen said: “Harry really impressed me this morning – he’s got a lot of potential behind the wheel and considering this is only his first full year competing he’s done extremely well. He’s still very new to the sport but a very determined individual who is eager to succeed. He also set some very fast times in the Shootout so I’m sure with more experience he will only get better.”
FST New Zealand champion Stephen Barker said: “It’s been a brilliant day – it was a completely different experience and the Fiesta S2000 is unlike anything I’ve ever driven before. It’s very powerful and throws you back in the seat. The suspension is also very soft which makes it easy to drive. It’s not every day you get the chance to sit in the car with a WRC star and Matthew gave me some great tips on car handling, smooth gear change and throttle position. I think I’ve got as much out of it as I possibly could. This has been such a fantastic week – I had been focused on getting to the Shootout all year – that goal has been at the heart of all my preparation and competition and it’s finally paid off.”
– Credit: M-Sport.