Marshall Clarke heads into this weekend’s Rally GB knowing that victory in WRC3 will secure him and driver Keith Cronin a dream seat in WRC2 next season.

The pair have had an often frustrating season when their speed has not always been rewarded with the success it deserved, but victory on the final round of the series in Wales will be enough to overhaul rival Sebastien Chardonnet and guarantee them the Citroen Top Driver award and the valuable prize.

“We have to finish with more than a seven point margin to Chardonnet,” explained Marshall. “If we come second then I think he has to come fourth, but the least complicated way to do it is win it outright, although that is obviously easier said than done!” Victory in the championship would see the pair appearing in a Citroen R5 in WRC2 next year, which is just one step removed from the full World Rally Championship, and the funded drive for all six rounds of the championship would give them a great opportunity to make a name for themselves against the world’s best up and coming drivers.

Despite the fierce level of competition Marshall believes they have shown they have had the pace to win on nearly every event this season. The pair were winning in Portugal before a water splash ended their event, they won in Finland, and in both Sardinia and Germany they were plagued with punctures and brake problems. When they have been able to piece together a trouble free run however they have proved they have the beating of Chardonnet.

“On our day and with no problems we have been able to out gun him all the time but then again he has the points in the bag,” said Marshall. “The rally is based in and around North Wales and while both Keith and I have done some of the stages in the past, we do not have notes for any of them so we are starting with a clean sheet. It’s no different to what we have been doing all year to be honest, whereas Chardonnet has done all the other rounds last year. For GB it is a brand new rally for everybody.” Chardonnet is not going to be the only threat on Rally GB however. With a lot of other two wheel drive cars able to take points off the Citroen drivers Cronin and Clarke will have to compete against new British Rally Champion Juha Korhonen as well as local favourite Oisin Price, who recently received British Rally Championship Driver of the year.