Crash.net:
It is quite a compact rally though isn’t it as it is a one-day event? It must make it quite intense…
MB:
It is actually the only round of the BRC that is all on one day. We do the recce on Friday but then the rally starts Saturday morning and finishes Saturday night. It is a really hectic day, non-stop - but that’s what you like as a driver. It is one stage into another into another. You don’t have time to relax and once you have got into it and into the rhythm, you can keep it going all day. If we can get into a rhythm early on and keep on pushing we will try and get a good result.
Crash.net:
What are your targets for that event?
MB:
Obviously to win the class in R2 in the BRC - that is our main aim and that is what we are going for in the championship. With every driver though if there is other cars out there and in the same sort of class as me - because the MG is actually an N3 car, where as the Citroen C2 in the class are A6 and the Suzuki Swifts are N2, so there are various different cars in the class within the BRC. I want to beat all the guys and girls going for the BRC, but if there is anyone else up there in an N3 car we want to beat those people as well. The Fiestas are in N3 and there is usually a couple of those out on events. We have been struggling to match those this year. It will be interesting to see on gravel and on a rally I know quite well, what the pace is like compared to the Fiestas and some of the other cars. We are going up there to get to the end of the event and see what happens.
Crash.net:
After that it is Rally GB, which is obviously quite a different event. But there is a big gap between Rally Yorkshire and the season finale.
MB:
It is probably the biggest gap all year. It is either good because it gives you a chance to get the car ready or it is bad because you have got so much time you forget the skills you learnt again on the Trackrod. Hopefully we will be going testing between the Trackrod and Rally GB and that will keep me in the rhythm and in the swing of things before the last round, which is also a round of the world championship. We have got to really push on that one to try and get [Ford boss] Malcolm Wilson to sign us up for next year!
[big smile]
Crash.net:
Have you got any events planned in between the Trackrod and GB?
MB:
No, unfortunately we haven’t got the budget to do any events in between. Hopefully we can get the budget together to go and do a bit of testing. But we are not in the situation where we have got plenty of money to spend between rallies. We struggle just to go to the rallies. Just to be on the start line of the Rally GB will be the main aim.
Crash.net:
Rally GB is the finale for the WRC too. Does that make it extra special? Are you looking forward to it?
MB:
Like I said, you don’t know who is watching at Wales Rally GB. All of the world championship teams are there and if you can get a good result and put in a good performance on that event it is the ideal shopping window for a future drive with someone else maybe. As we all know though there are not many drives available at the minute and you really are going to have to do something a bit special.
Crash.net:
Rally GB is a double points scoring event for the BRC. Do you have to treat it as two events?
