by Rob Wilkins
MSA British Rally Academy star, Simon Hughes competed in the Fiesta Sporting Trophy UK series in 2006. Although he didn’t win it he had a strong season and finished the year third overall having taken two victories, thanks to two top drives on the
Jim Clark and the Bulldog.
Crash.net Radio caught up with Brit at the Wales Rally GB and here he reviews his season and tells us about his hopes for 2007...
Q:
Simon, give us the low-down on what you have been doing this year in the FSTUK series and how it has gone?
Simon Hughes:
Well we have a fairly good year in the Fiesta. It was good because we managed to win two of the rallies and that put us third in the championship by the end of the year. We had one of those years that you always seem to have in rallying - we had some good bits and some not so good bits. But it worked well for use.
We were happy to be involved with the championship from the start, obviously with it being a new championship this year, it was quite a risk to get involved. But the guys at M-Sport, with their success in rallying, they know exactly what they are doing and what it takes to be successful. So, we were fairly confident they would put together a good series - and they have done. Overall, I think we have had a lot of success - and a lot of enjoyment this year.
Q:
In its first year the FSTUK series seems to have gotten the thumbs up doesn’t it?
SH:
Yeah definitely, it has been the most popular and the most successful one make series in the UK and especially this year, if not for a few years, to have nearly 30 competitors out on events, in its first year, has just been phenomenal. The level of competition has been good too and on the last rally for example, the top five cars, were separated by less than 15 seconds. So, that sort of competition will attract, not just a number of drivers’, but the top drivers’ that are available.
Q:
You must have been quite happy to take bronze in the standings too? It wasn’t bad was it?
SH:
Not at all, as I say, we had a few problems as the year went on. But we won two rallies, which was as many as anyone else did and we also won more stages than anyone else did throughout the year, but unfortunately that doesn’t always mean championship wins. But we have been happy with our progress and results as the year has gone on.
Q:
You did a couple of WRC events as well, how did that go?
SH:
We took part in the first two rounds of the international championship [the FSTi], which was in Catalunya and Corsica. Really it was a good opportunity for me to gain as much WRC experience as possible at a fairly low financial price. So, we made the best of that and it fitted in well with our UK commitments - and the experience of competing at that level, and the experience of those events, and the competition of a WRC event, was invaluable.
![Simon Hughes [Pic credit: FST / M-Sport]](http://pix.crash.net/thumbs/219593.jpg)
