Media duo complete the 2013 Arctic Lapland Rally reaching 23rd place overall
As the icy dust settles on the 2013 Arctic Lapland Rally, Daily Mail sports columnist Des Kelly and Skys motor sport expert Tony Jardine completed their adventure they started ten years ago, battling through the frozen wastelands of the arctic forests to reach the podium in an incredible 23rd place overall.
In 2003 the media duo took the challenge of competing in the Arctic Lapland Rally for the first time, which ended in Jardine and Kelly ploughing into a snow bank from which they couldnt recover. Ten years on, as the only British Team competing and flying the flag for Team GB, the pairing returned to the ice-covered wilderness with the determination and spirit to finish. Kelly said: I had been desperate to finish what we had started ten years ago, after months of preparation in 2003 it was so disappointing to not reach the finish line. This year, again with months and months of preparation, bringing on-board MIS Motorsport for our specialist insurance and our sponsor PlayStation3 has enabled the whole journey to be filmed, it has been amazing to finally say we did it.
Having started the 2013 rally in 75th place (out of 122 contestants), Day One saw an impressive day of driving in hazardous conditions by Jardine and Kelly resulting in the media duo moving an astonishing 47 places into 28th overall. Over 40 other entrants made critical errors in reading the ice and snow and ended up crashing into retirement, demonstrating the precarious conditions the pairing faced.
At the end of Day One we were in a tremendous position, commented amateur driver Jardine. The Production Class Subaru N14 - provided by Rally Promotion Finland - combined with the special spiked tyres courtesy of our sponsor Pirelli, makes for a true arctic rallying machine. There were other cars spinning and crashing out everywhere we looked, but we kept it together resulting in our incredible climb up the results table.
Day Two brought with it a fresh layering of snow and ice as the frozen fog from the night before settled on the ground. Jardine and Kelly showed impressive determination as they tackled the Wild Arctic in -23 degrees centigrade temperature. However, the conditions were even more menacing which led to a more cautious approach to some of the stages, combined with a slow puncture, resulted in the media men losing time by midday. We had some dramatic moments in the first stages of the day which led to us losing some of our speed, said co-driver Kelly. However, it wasnt by much and we were keeping our pace up. We were really affected by the cold and snow. I was grateful to be kitted out in Alpinestars thermal underwear, designed for rallying in these surroundingsI dont even want to imagine how cold it would feel without them!
As the sun starting setting, the media men moved on to the last stages of their rally adventure, where they also faced their biggest challenge. Special Stage 10 is renowned for being one of the toughest stages in international rallying, and as the longest and most demanding stage it is where the worst can happen on the Arctic Lapland Rally. ProSpeed Groups Olly Marshall, who was coordinating the teams efforts alongside Rally Promotion Finland, and has been a vital component in many of Jardines rallying ventures, commented: After the second service, I thought Tony looked nervous. Stage 10 takes the cars to the limit; it is 48 km where anything could go wrong. It was incredible to hear from the pair when they made it through and we knew they were on the home straight to the podium.
Having completed what they started ten years ago, Kelly said, Its amazing that we have finished, let alone coming 23rd overall. Its been a real rollercoaster, with some real hairy moments where we hit a snow bank and the car was transformed into a snow plough. We have had to face the harshest rallying conditions, constantly following a cloud of snow kicked up from previous drivers. We skidded, we slidedbut we made it. These two days really did demonstrate the highs and lows of rallying. Incredible result, thanks to all the team!
A jubilant Jardine said: the car, the team and Des were fantastic throughout the event, it is an amazing feeling to say that we have finished the Arctic Lapland Rally. Everything has slotted together and the additional support from Grand Prix Racewear, Arai and the Rovaniemi Tourist Board has been incredible. It has been a long week, but it was definitely worth it.
