by Geoff Mayes
Jason Pritchard has confirmed that he will contest the two day long Rally of the Midlands this weekend as he looks to gain extra tarmac mileage ahead of the tough and treacherous International Rally Isle of Man.
The 20-year-old only recently returned to rallying after a road accident sidelined him for the early part of the season.
The British Rally Elite member made his come back on the
Jim Clark International Rally last month and despite still suffering from a lot of pain persevered to finish sixth in class, thus getting his championship aspirations off the ground.
Pritchard and co-driver George Gwynn are contesting the entire Tesco 99 Octane MSA British Rally Championship aboard their North Road Garage backed Citroen C2 R2 and have chosen to contest the 90 stage miles of the Rally of the Midlands as an extended tarmac test
Whilst the rally is neither similar in terrain nor are competitors allowed to make their own pace-notes, both Pritchard and Gwynn feel that the event will still be beneficial as the two-day format will allow young Jason, who recently celebrated his birthday, the opportunity to spend more time behind the wheel of his Quick Motorsport-run Citroen.
"Because of the injury to my foot I haven't been able to compete as much as I would like recently," Pritchard explained.
"I have been told that the Mira stages are really fast and won't suit my Citroen but that the smaller stages are more technical, and so we hope to set some decent times this weekend. I'm still hoping for a Pritchard to be challenging for overall honours though as my Dad has decided to do it in his Subaru World Rally Car. Imagine if I beat him!"
