THE ONLY ALL BRITISH TEAM IN HOME EVENT

The  only  all  British  team  competing  in  the  British  Round  of  the  World  Rally Championship is gearing up for action.  With just a few days to go before the start of one of the toughest events on the motorsport calendar, the Sportinglife.com MG X- Power  team,  featuring  ITV  Speed  Sunday  presenter  Lee  McKenzie  and  ITV  F1 Analyst Tony Jardine, are in the midst of their final preparations.

The  pairing  of  McKenzie  and  Jardine   is  even  more  remarkable  as  co-driver, McKenzie, had never been in a rally car until three months ago.  When the Wales Rally  GB  kicks  off  on  17th  September  the  ITV  Speed  Sunday  and  international motorsport  presenter  will  become  the  first  person  to  have  ever  reached  a  World Championship in any sport, after only three months training!   

The  26  year  old,  from  Ayr  in  Scotland,  has  been  the  centre  of  an  ITV  programme tracking her progress from a novice to a natural, and Speed Sunday viewers will be able to find out how she’s been getting on during the lead up to the event.  In a time where  ex-sportsmen  are  transferred  to  television  presenters  in  a  matter  of  weeks, McKenzie has become the first presenter to do it the other way round and become a World Championship competitor. Her driver, and fellow ITV presenter, Tony Jardine said of the coming event:

“I always relish  the  challenge  of  driving  the  world  class  stages  of  the  Wales  Rally  GB, particularly when our Michelin shod MG ZR has been performing so well.  It is a new experience for Lee and will be the ultimate test of her co-driving abilities.”   McKenzie  has  entered  only  three  rallies  prior  to  the  Wales  Rally  GB  and  is  an absolute  novice.    She  has,  however,  taken  part  in  several  training  courses,  with expert guidance from fellow Scot and former World Rally Champion co-driver Robert Reid.

Reid  commented:  “It’s  remarkable  what  Lee  has  achieved,  she  has  worked  very hard.  Some people have thought she’s only there because she is a TV presenter but she is good enough and deserves it.” Out  of  120  cars  competing,  McKenzie  will  be  one  of  only  three  female  co-drivers taking   part.      Speaking   about   her  World   Rally   Championship   debut   McKenzie commented:  “I am so excited; I’m counting down the days like an advent calendar to Christmas.  I know that this is one of the toughest events on the WRC calendar and I’m a mixture of excitement and nerves. “I’ve  worked  at  the  event  over  the  last  few  years  and  it’s  always  one  of  the  first things pencilled into my diary.  I love this event, so to think that I’ll be competing is fantastic.”