by Rob Wilkins
Matt Beebe has said that he is still hoping to compete in the Tesco 99 Octane MSA British Rally Championship again this season, even if things currently aren't looking very promising.
Beebe secured the R2 class title last year, to add to the R3 crown he took in 2006, however, thus far he has been unable to put together a package that will see him continue at the top level in the UK.
He is refusing to be downbeat though and believes there is still time for him to sort something for the Pirelli International Rally, the opening round in the BRC, which runs from April 18-19.
"I am always the optimist," he told
Crash.net Radio recently. "Last year it was left up until the last minute and we actually took the MG to the Pirelli as a back-up in case we didn't get the deal finalised.
"As it was it was sorted about an hour before scrutineering [and we used a Citroen C2 on the Pirelli before reverting to the MG for the rest of the championship].
"There is still plenty of time left to get something together. But we have been working hard all winter trying to get some sponsors and get some deals sorted. However we haven't been able to get anything together.
"There is still hope. If we can sell the MG and get some money in, we can possibly hire a car if we can get the right deal. We are never going to say it is not going to happen."
As for what car he would like to use this season in the BRC, he added that while he would love to use a Group N machine, at the moment it is more likely he will be in a C2 or a Swift.
"Ideally we would like to move up to four-wheel drive. But there is a massive jump in budget from running the MG to running a Group N Mitsubishi Evo or a Group N Subaru Impreza," he continued.
"We really need some big support from sponsors to do that sort of thing, which we haven't been able to find.
"We will probably look at two-wheel drive then - either the Citroen C2-R2 Cup or the Suzuki Swift Sport Cup. If we could get a one-off drive in either of those and put in a good performance hopefully that we allow us to get some support.
