WILSON NOT PLANNING TO MAKE UP THE RALLY OF NATIONS NUMBERS
Cumbrian ready to represent Great Britain in Mexico comeback after 11-year break
Matt Wilson is expecting his competitive instincts to kick in when he represents Great Britain on Rally of Nations Guanajuato in Mexico this weekend.
Wilson, 35, started the country’s World championship qualifier five times and Rally of Nations Guanajuato is essentially a trimmed down version of the WRC event that last took place in 2020.
Although the Cumbrian – who will drive a Ford Fiesta Rally2 built by his father Malcolm’s M-Sport firm – has long since called time on his competitive rallying career, he tackled four British championship rounds in 2021 and won the Grampian Forest Rally.
Speaking to Motorsport News prior to flying to North America, Wilson said: “Before you get to any rally you just want to go and enjoy it, but I know as soon as it starts my competitive head will come on. It was the same when we had a chance of winning the Grampian last year, I remember the competitive instinct kicked in and I imagine that will happen again.
“But I have no doubt it’s going to be tough. There’s less air to breathe with the altitude, there’s the heat and some of the stages we’re doing three times so they could be quite rough by the third pass.”
Wilson has prepared for his first visit to Leon, the Rally of Nations Guanajuato host city, since 2011 by upping his normal fitness programme in recent months.
“There will be other drivers more match fit than me and I know it won’t be easy,” said Wilson, who will be co-driven by Stuart Loudon. “But hopefully I can use my experience from the past. I first went to Mexico in 2006 when I was still a teenager. It was my first event outside Europe and we had some good finishes, including a sixth [in 2008]. The first run on shakedown was always a shock when you’ve got less power than normal. It’s good to be going back and representing your country is a nice thing to do.”
Tom Williams was in line to be named as the UK’s other official driver when MN closed for press.