The Stobart M-Sport Ford World Rally Team are looking to push ahead of manufacturer rivals Citroen Junior Team at next week’s Vodafone Rally de Portugal.
The Cumbria-based squad are relying on drivers Matthew Wilson and Henning Solberg to close the one point gap between them and the French outfit in the manufacturer’s Championship when the WRC heads to the Algarve for the 6th round of this year’s rally calendar.
Wilson finished the 2009 Rally de Portugal on foot after he crashed off the road less than two kilometres from the finish line, but after a positive performance in New Zealand the Englishman is determined not to make a similar mistake:
“I’m really looking forward to going back to Portugal. My stage times were good in this rally last year and we are keen to keep the momentum going from New Zealand earlier this month” said Wilson, “The stages will be harder on the car than New Zealand and the amount of dust from the dry weather recently could be a potential problem. There is always a huge buzz at Rally de Portugal and the super special stages in the Algarve Stadium provide a fantastic atmosphere as there are huge crowds.”
Solberg’s fifth place finish in Portugal last year proved the Norwegian has the skill to navigate the 355km of gravel track that awaits him next week, but after handling problems in New Zealand, the dusty stages of the Algarve may cause the Ford Focus RS WRC driver a few difficulties:
“I had some problems with handling over in New Zealand but everything should be sorted for Portugal” he told WRC.com, “The rally has some very nice stages but I think the good weather there recently might have made some of the stages very dusty, which could be a problem. As always I will work my hardest to get points for the team.”
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