Loudon driven by new challenge
Uddingston rally co-driver Stuart Loudon is itching to get back into a car and compete again, having been given a taste of it during the Speyside Stages in Elgin on Saturday.
Stuart joined Dale Robertson for his debut in a Ford Fiesta R5 on the Scottish Rally Championship qualifier, with the pair running on the fringes of the top 10 before retiring with radiator damage on the penultimate stage.
Before Stuart started the latest round in Moray he dashed 200 miles up the road from the Borders, where he had been testing with M-sport’s British Rally Championship team.
The Speyside Stages might have ended in disappointment, but it has reignited Loudon’s desire to be a big figure in British motorsport.
He said:“doing the test really helped me to slide straight back into the rally car.
“Both Dale and I had been away from competition for longer than we wanted – it’s six months for me and a year for him.
“I was pretty pleased with the car we were using; it was the same Fiesta I co-drove with John Maccrone to victory in the Mull Rally in October.
“I have to say it has totally refocused my attention on what I want to do. I want to be back in a car and competing as soon as possible .”
On his new challenge, which will take him to Portugal next month, Loudon said:“it’s such an exciting time to be involved and working with M-sport.
“This new generation of the World Rally Championship has really fired the imagination.”