Crash.net:
How tough was it competing against the ‘works' Mitsubishi team this season in the BRC and their two drivers', Guy Wilks and Gwyndaf Evans?
MH:
Yeah, they had two very good drivers and the car has always been very quick. It has been very hard this year for me and it has not been the best of seasons. Guy, you only have to look at his times, he has been very, very fast and very consistent. He is a worthy winner of the championship.
Crash.net:
How did you rate your other rivals in the BRC, such as your rookie
Stobart TEG Sport team-mate, Wyn Humphries, who finished fourth in the standings and actually led at one point?
MH:
He had a very good consistent run. The car has been very reliable and he just kept getting the points in, which is what it is all about at the end of the day. If you are going for a championship you need to score good points. From a pace point of view though, the two men have really been, Guy and Gwyndaf. David [Higgins – my brother] didn't have such a good season this year [in the BRC], but when he got back into the
Subaru towards the end of the year he had some better results. We just need some more people doing the championship really. The BRC has always had great rallies and we just need some more competition in there, right the way through the depth of the field.
Crash.net:
It is always easy to be wise in hindsight, but do you think you stretched yourself too much by doing the BRC, the PWRC and the Irish Tarmac Championship? Did that compromise your bid to take the BRC crown again?
MH:
Possibly, but I don't regret doing it. In this day and age you don't turn down anything because you never know what is around the corner. You have to look at every year as your last year because you just never do know what is about. It was great doing the PWRC and that didn't really cause any problems with regard to the BRC. As it happened the one make tyre that Pirelli choose for Rally GB worked well right the way through - and so that was OK. The only one that we really did compromise I would say would be the Irish. We had to take three Group N cars and if we had maybe taken one WRC car on one of the three events that may have been a different story. But I have had a fantastic year. I have done 18 rallies - we have been driving World Rally Cars, the Mitsubishi and the Subaru [Group N cars] and it is just a shame, as I said a moment ago, that there is nothing to show for it at the end. I did however still enjoy the season very much.
Crash.net:
Ultimately you took the runners-up spot in the BRC and ‘bronze' in the PWRC. Do those results give you any pleasure or is it just winning that counts?
MH:
Unfortunately second place is the first loser - but at the Autosport awards I think we said second is the new first based on what
Lewis Hamilton has done this year!
[laughs]. You are only there to win really though – nobody remembers who took second place and we have to try and make sure we can correct that in the future.
Crash.net:
What are your plans now for the off season?
MH:
Not a great deal. We have just got to try and get everything sorted out. If we do the Irish championship again that starts at the end of January and so there is not much time for that. We are just trying to get deals together and sort out what we can do and can't do and hopefully make sure we are out rallying again.
Crash.net:
What are you hoping to do next season – any ideas yet?
