Up-and-coming Brit Harry Hunt secured his third rally championship title in four weeks when he won the Fiesta SportTrophy International on Wales Rally GB, which finished in Cardiff earlier today (November 14).
The 22-year-old from London, embarking on only his second season of rallying, beat Frenchman Pierre-Alexandre Perrin by almost five minutes following three tough days of competition on the challenging gravel forest roads of south and mid-Wales.
Of more significance, however, was the fact that Hunt finished ahead of Abu Dhabi driver Majed Al Shamsi, his rival for the coveted one-make accolade.
Hunt’s title joy, at the wheel of his I Cars Motorsport Ford Fiesta R2, comes on the back of his capture of the FIA Junior World Rally Championship Rookie Cup on Rally Spain last month, which was followed two weeks later by his victory in the IRC 2WD Cup on the Cyprus Rally (November 4-6).
“It’s an awesome feeling and I’ve only just stopped spraying the champagne!” said Hunt. “The stages here were very tricky with lots of mud on the roads. The level of grip was changing constantly, which didn’t make it easy but we got through it and only made one mistake and that was on a very difficult section. After 213 miles of competitive driving that’s not bad going.”
Hunt actually learned at the completion of the opening leg of the event on Friday evening that he was Fiesta SportTrophy champion after Al Shamsi was deprived of the six points he needed to keep his title dream alive by failing to record a fastest time in the Fiesta category.
“I was let off the leash after that and decided to have some fun and see how fast I could go,” said Hunt. “I quickly realised that the faster you go, the quicker you learn and I’d say it was the best I’ve driven all season.”
As well as claiming the Fiesta SportTrophy title on Rally GB, Hunt was handed the Richard Burns Trophy, which is presented on the rally annually in memory of the late 2001 world rally champion to the highest-placed British youngster on the event. Hunt’s co-driver, Seb Marshall, received the Michael Park Trophy, awarded in memory of the British navigator who lost his life in an accident on Rally GB in 2005.
Hunt has competed throughout Europe in 2010, contesting events in countries such as Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Monaco, Spain and Turkey. However, it was his success on the IRC 2WD Cup on the Italian island of Sardinia in June that ranks as his best memory of the season.
“That was my first big win so it was really special,” said Hunt, who will now prepare for the Fiesta SportTrophy International Shootout in Cumbria from November 17-18, where he will compete against Fiesta drivers from all over the world for a year’s contract working for the factory Ford World Rally Team, M-Sport.
– Credit: M-Sport.