Dublin based rally driver Derek Tracy will tackle his first rally of 2005 when he contests next weekends (16th January) Llandovery based Red Kite Stages in his Ramsport prepared Escort World Rally Car.
The Irishman, who will be co-driven by Mold’s Dave Williams, is looking forward to the rally. His confidence has been buoyed by a recent visit to John Haugland’s Winter Rallyschool in Norway. Two days of intensive testing and tuition allowed Tracy to develop and hone his skills, whilst experimenting with the set up of his car.
The Escort World Rally Car pilot, supported by Supertune Motor Company, is relishing the challenge of the forest stages, many of which are used on Britain’s round of the World Rally Championship, the Wales Rally GB.
The Red Kite rally offers competitors fourty-five miles of competition in the Crychan and Halfway forests, to the West of Brecon. The fast, flowing stages, on what is the traditional season opening event, are often icy and fog bound at this time of year. The low winter sun is an additional hazard with which the crews will have to contend.
Tracy is a fan of the Welsh forests, and despite not having the distinct advantage of local knowledge and the experience of many of his contemporaries, he has acquitted himself very well on the events he contested last season. A fine drive on November’s Cambrian Rally, where he set many top ten stage times, in atrocious weather conditions, showcased his potential.
The car is prepared by North Wales based rally preparation company Ramsport, who are planning a Pre-Red Kite test, to allow Tracy to re-familiarise himself with his car and to fine tune the settings ahead of the rally. Ramsport have a successful history of preparing and developing Escort World Rally Cars, they are also responsible for Dave Weston’s pristine example of the marque whilst Ramsport founder Rob Atkinson enjoyed considerable success at the wheel of a Group N Escort Cosworth.
A full program of rallies has been put together for 2005, with Tracy keen to experience a wide variety of events at various levels. The Ramsport team is also committed to a hectic schedule of events, which will see them attending at least one rally nearly every weekend until early December, with the other cars that they prepare for their customers.
The Red Kite Rally starts from the Castle Hotel in Llandovery, with the first car leaving the start ramp at 09:30.
