Crash.net:
You also got your hands on a Ford Focus WRC car on the Red Kite Stages back in January. We know at the time you described that car as like driving ‘a spaceship', but how much of an adaptation was it for your style, to get in a car that powerful?
SH:
It was a brilliant opportunity. The car was something else. It was as you would imagine a rally car - even if you have never seen one or you have only ever played it on computer games. It did everything that you wanted it to do. I am fortunate I have done a lot of competing in four-wheel drive cars, nothing quite to that standard, but I had a lot of the know-how to drive the car and to a certain extent the car is that good, it brings you on, as much as you get confidence from driving it.
Crash.net:
You are a member of the MSA British Rally Academy scheme. It has not obviously been able to see you through the full programme this year, but how much of a help has it been for you and your career?
SH:
To be fair the guys at the MSA are doing pretty much everything they can. It is a difficult situation for them, because obviously they'd love to be able to just write a cheque and say there you go and off you go rallying. But as we know and I think a good example of this is young
Lewis Hamilton in
Formula 1, there is a lot more to it than just being behind the wheel. He has had guys helping him from a very young age and they are only just now reaping the rewards. I think the guys at the MSA are doing a similar thing. They are putting a lot of work in and they cover all aspects of rallying, a lot of which people wouldn't even think about and if you have got those people behind you, it is definitely going to help progress your career.
Crash.net:
What are your plans for next season now?
SH:
At the moment we are in discussions with a few different people. As always unfortunately a lot of it will be decided by budgets, but we are hoping to carry on with a limited WRC programme. In what car yet is still to be decided. It would also be nice though having come back to do the
Jim Clark in the BRC, to have a bit more of a solid programme there and hopefully put some of the learning and experience from the WRC into practice in the British championship.
