Fisher ready for toughest test of season

Editorial Department • Published 10 Nov 2011 16:30 0 Comments

Alastair Fisher goes into this weekend's Rally of Great Britain knowing that the WRC Academy organisers may well have saved the toughest event of the season for last.

Although Alastair is more familiar with the type of roads that he will be facing this weekend than many of the foreign rounds of the series, it is the first time he has tackled his home round of the championship and the Trillick driver knows the rally is set to provide a daunting challenge for the competing crews.

"I think this is going to be the hardest rally of the year," he acknowledged after completing his recce of the stages on Tuesday. "Very challenging stages with loads of mud!"

Alastair has a mixed season in the newly established WRC Academy. He was leading the field on the opening round in Portugal before an accident on the penultimate stage cost him victory. Mechanical failure ended his Sardinia Rally before he had a chance to make an impression, and Rally Finland was another one that got away, Alastair losing the lead of the rally when he slid off the road. After a top ten finish in Germany his luck finally changed on the last round in France, where he took a long overdue victory, and he will be hoping to continue that winning streak in Wales this weekend.

"We started the season aiming to win the title and with a bit more luck that definitely would have been possible as we have had the speed," said the 23-year-old. "But I've gained a huge amount of experience so I'm going to do all I can to get the budget to come back next year and become champion. As it is, third place in the championship would be a great result and that's my target on Rally GB."

Fisher prepared for the event, which uses a combination of high-speed forest tracks, military training areas and even an all-asphalt toll road, with a test in his homeland last weekend. Although it was not possible to replicate the slippery conditions he will encounter this week, the session helped him to reacclimatise to running on gravel following the asphalt-based round in France last month.

Alastair and his 16 WRC Academy rivals will tackle 17 stages over a competitive distance of 168 miles. The opening two stages are based in the seaside town of Llandudno followed by the first forest stage on Thursday evening. Friday's itinerary consists of eight stages with a further six stages on Saturday before the finish on Saturday evening.

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This article appeared in Impartial Reporter 10 Nov 11

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