Crash.net:
Do you think you can mount a bid for the title?
DH:
I’d like to think so. Last year between our troubles we always had good pace. I think with the consistency that we have got now as well then and with this being a major focus, I believe we can hopefully go and mount a good challenge to Mitsubishi.
Crash.net:
How do you think your team-mate Hugh Evans will get on?
DH:
I am hoping he will find the car nice and easy to drive. Obviously Hugh is a businessman at the end of the day. He does rallying for fun and last year was his first time doing events anywhere near as big as the British championship and he finished all but one of them. If he can do the same again and keep bringing the car home obviously his results are going to improve gradually. I think he could find himself sneaking into the top ten of the British championship. If we can get both cars inside the top ten - and me being very high up in that top ten, it would be a great result for the new team and all the sponsors.
Crash.net:
What are the targets for Nick Rowland - the team’s third / 'junior' driver?
DH:
Basically Nick has got quite a good programme because he is also running in China. He is going to use Hugh's old Mitsubishi for the Chinese championship. Obviously he is doing the one-make Suzuki Swift Sport Cup in the BRC as well. Nick has got an awful lot of potential as a driver and he is in a fantastic situation where he can concentrate 100 per cent on his rallying - he has got no school, no job, nothing to interfere with his programme. He has got some good backing behind him too and so now it just really comes down to Nick to see how much he wants it. If he is up there winning - and there is no reason why he can’t win. He has got the same car as everybody else. He has got good practice between the events and he has got the facility where he can learn at the rally school. He can learn as much as he can from me too. There is nothing stopping him from winning the championship – it is all down to him. It will be interesting to see how he turns that one around.
Crash.net:
Are you going to do the Chinese Rally Championship again?
DH:
We are - although it is obviously a strange calendar this year with the Olympics. Everything stops after April as they are not allowed to issue any sporting events until the Olympics is finished. There is quite a big break and that actually fits quite well with the British championship. But we are out there to do the Chinese championship again. We go out to do a test on Sunday for four-days. I am looking forward to getting back behind the wheel again and starting the season off.
Crash.net:
The first event in the BRC isn't until April, will you be doing any testing or events - excluding the CRC - prior to that to get up to speed and ensure everything is as sorted as possible for the Pirelli?
DH:
I don't think we will do any events. But we hope to do some tests. Our cars are due for delivery towards the end of March - and as soon as they arrive we have got a test schedule planned. We hope to do some gravel running and we also hope to have done at least one day of tarmac testing, before we go to the Pirelli Rally. Then when the Pirelli Rally is finished we can just concentrate again.
Crash.net:
Do you have any plans to do anything else, like the PWRC?
