After the rally we were approached by Total Motorsport Solutions with the option of using a Citroen C2R2 in the new C2R2cup within the BRC this year, which is incredible! It’s all come together quite late and we’re not sure if the car will be ready in time for the first round, so we’ll be taking the MG too just in case. We are also still trying to find a co-driver with a budget for the full season, but I know everyone involved is putting everything they can into this and either way I will be at the Pirelli competing in Class R2.
The opening stages are on Friday night through Killer Kielder, which will be a real baptism of fire for the new season with its legendary long straights and big jumps – in the dark!
We finished second in class on the Pirelli in 2006, and I think the main thing I learnt last year was that you have to push all three days of the rally. There’s no point in being quick over the first few stages and then backing off and just concentrating on getting to the finish. You have to push on every stage.
We treated 2006 as a learning year, because it was the first time I had made my own pace notes. All year we were constantly trying to build towards the future.
This year there’s a lot more competition, especially with people like Vesa Mikkola – son of Hannu – in a Honda Civic Type R, the factory Team Suzuki cars of former British Ladies Champion Lorna Smith and MSA British Rally Elite Driver James Wozencroft, George Thomas who is hotly-tipped, as well as all the Citroen C2R2s of course.
We won the title last year and now we want to build on that. Along the way I’ve got a score to settle in Ulster too; it was my first time in Ireland last year, and I crashed on the first competitive stage of the day, but ultimately the year is all about building up to Wales Rally GB and competing on the world championship stage for the third time. After our result on the Border Counties we’ve got a lot of confidence, and are aiming to get some good results again and push for another championship.
Speak to you soon!
Matt
To keep up-to-date with Matt’s news and results, visit: http://www.mattbeebe.co.uk
![Matt Beebe [Pic credit: Geoff Mayes Media - www.geoffmayesmedia.com]](http://pix.crash.net/thumbs/303518.jpg)
