of competing at World Rally Championship level
Castrol / Daily Telegraph team to compete in Swedish Rally
Nearly three months after competing in her last rally, top freelance motoring and travel journalist Franca Davenport will be realising her goal of competing in a World Rally Championship (WRC) event. Franca will be co-driving for Sky Sports presenter Tony Jardine with the Castrol / Daily Telegraph team, in the Uddeholm Swedish Rally from 7-10 February. Last year Davenport, from Chippenham in Wiltshire, was set the task by Jardine of gaining her international rally licence in just 42 days.
She achieved her aim by completing four national rallies and two courses in rallying and navigation, including a master class from Robert Reid, world champion co-driver to the late Richard Burns. Davenport gained her final upgrade signature, taking her up to international co-driver status, at the Tempest Rally last November. The Castrol / Daily Telegraph team was due to compete in Rally Ireland just three days after Davenport received her final licence signature.
Sadly the team was forced to pull out on the eve of the event as Jardine’s wife had been involved in a serious car accident. Davenport, commenting on the challenge ahead of her in Sweden, said, “Although I was nervous about competing against the world’s best in Ireland last year, the mixed emotions of Jeanette’s dreadful accident and not starting the rally left the whole team feeling low. But we now have the chance to complete my task at WRC level in Sweden and with Tony’s wife making great progress I’m looking forward to working with him and the Castrol ProSpeed team again’”.
This will not only be Davenport’s first attempt at a WRC event but also the first time that Jardine has competed in the Swedish Rally. The motorsport pundit did compete in Rally Norway in 2007 but since then has not driven in the type of snowy, icy environment expected in Sweden. To re-fresh his skills and give Davenport an opportunity to experience the harsh Scandinavian conditions the media duo will be attending John Haugland’s Winter Rally School in Norway prior to the Swedish Rally. This will also give them the opportunity to test out the Kumho spiked tyres for the main event.
Driver Jardine said, “I am relieved Franca will finally get the opportunity to fulfil her goal of competing at WRC level after the dramas of Ireland – although this challenge is even greater when you factor in the problems of visibility and the disorienting experience of ‘white out’. However I am confident in Franca’s ability as a co-driver; she learnt quickly last year and obtained her international licence in record time”.
Jardine and Davenport will be competing in a Ford Fiesta ST150 which is prepared and run by York-based ProSpeed Motorsport. It will be the only Fiesta entered in the Swedish rally and will be running in the standard production class. Olly Marshall, Team Principal of ProSpeed Motorsport, commented, “The conditions in Sweden will create a completely different challenge to what Franca would have been expecting from Rally Ireland. However attending John Haugland’s Winter Rally School should give Franca a good idea of what is to come and help prepare her for the three days of snow and ice, including survival technique for the sub zero temperatures.”
The team will also be supported by McLaren SLR technician and test driver Andy Beale from Lightwater near Camberley, who has worked alongside Jardine and the ProSpeed team since 2006. “Although I have supported Tony at international level before, at Wales Rally GB and Rally Norway, I think that this is going to be a tough test for the team. I am looking forward to the challenge of keeping the car running in the demanding conditions of the Swedish Rally”, said Beale.
