Loudon’s relief at rally car return
Uddingston rally co-driver Stuart Loudon hopes he and Matthew Wilson will be involved when the first postlockdown rally takes place in Cumbria next month.
The M-sport Return to Rally Stages is a one-off event taking place in Greystoke Forest on Saturday, August 22, which is open to any M-sport manufactured Focus or Fiesta.
The rally is itself an experiment in how the UK can return to rallying.
It will involve electronic management of information and documentation, socially distanced time controls and the safe recovery of vehicles and crews.
Loudon and Wilson attended a test event in Greystoke last week and the co-driver, who is the grandson of Tunnock’s biscuit magnate Boyd, is keen to be a part of history.
He said:“we were down last week and did some work with Motorsport UK; they have done some filming on how a rally car would approach the new social distancing rules.
“It’s great that people are trying to come up with these ideas, because everybody wants it to start up again, just like every other sport.
“It was great to get back into a car. We were doing some development test work on the World Rally car, and these are always an absolute joy to sit in.
“The plan is that Matt Wilson and I are probably going to do something in Greystoke, maybe with the safety car, but hopefully again in the current-spec World Rally car.
“It would be great to be involved in the first rally back, and help promote the fact that we are able to run rallies.”