for second rally assault
TV broadcaster Tony Jardine and Daily Mail journalist Jonathan McEvoy will team up for a second rally training event, hoping to emulate their fantastic result on McEvoy’s debut when the pair enjoyed an amazing class win on the Plains Rally last month.
Their next British rally assault - the North Wales based Cambrian Rally on 4 November - will be used as a training event for McEvoy as he looks for a finish, and precious upgrade signatures, in a bid to reach international status as a rally co-driver in time to compete in Britain’s round of the FIA World Rally Championship - Wales Rally GB - in December.
The media pairing, driving for the Daily Mail / Sportinglife.com team, will be tackling the Welsh forests in their Castrol owned M-Sport Fiesta ST, as McEvoy builds his confidence in the co- driving seat. It is a race against time, with pressure on the crew to finish all events, in order for McEvoy to attain the international level required. Although Jardine has had over a decade of successful rallying experience, it will only be McEvoy’s second ever outing as a co-driver.
It will mean a huge learning curve for McEvoy if he is to succeed in his quest, but it will also provide him with an invaluable insight into the world of rallying.
In order to gain the necessary skills, he is being guided by one of the best co-drivers in the world, Nicky Grist, who has 21 world rally wins to his name, many of them alongside rally legend Colin McRae.
North Wales born McEvoy, still incredulous after his first time out win, commented, “This will be only the second time I have ever taken part in a rally, so the nerves are still there, especially as our last outing at the Plains Rally was so successful and I’m not sure I can repeat the performance. I still have more to learn from Nicky, who will be tutoring me up until the Wales Rally GB, but I couldn’t have asked for a better mentor than a world champion to guide me through.”
Jardine said, “The Plains Rally was tough and fast. I didn’t hear from Jon for the first three stages and I feared the worst, but he sprang to life half way through the event. I was amazed by his transition to co-driving, especially seeing as it was his first ever attempt at a rally. I am worried he may think he’s cracked it – I’ll have to assure him there’s plenty of pit falls ahead. We are lucky to have the technicians at ProSpeed to help us, led by ex Junior World Rally Championship driver Olly Marshall, who does a sterling job. We’re delighted they’re our team for this year’s campaign.”
The Daily Mail / Sportinglife.com car will be running on Kumho tyres, while on event-support will be provided by York based company ProSpeed. The Cambrian Rally, located in Conwy, is one of the most demanding forest events in Wales. It starts with a daunting dash around the perilous cliff roads of the Great Orme, over which McEvoy has been advised not to look down, and then takes in the tough forests of Clocaenog and Penmachno previously used on RAC World Championship events.
The duo will need to have their wits about them as they battle through the 9 stages of the event, covering 54 miles of both undulating and rough terrain.
