YATES STEPS UP TO WRC 2 CAMPAIGN
Brit to contest nine rounds in fabia
Britain’s Rhys Yates has confirmed a nine-round World Rally Championship programme in his Skoda Fabia R5.
The Chesterfield driver starts his maiden WRC 2 effort at next week’s Monte Carlo Rally and admits he’s jumping in at the deep end. Having only contested five WRC rounds before – Rally GB three times and Spain twice – seven of the events he will compete on this year are new to him in 2019.
“I’m under no illusions, it’s going to be a very steep learning curve,” Yates told MN. “Take the Monte… we thought about skipping it and starting in Sweden, but you’ve got to go there for the first time at some stage, so we’re going. We’ve got a test before the start, which will really help.”
Yates will be co-driven in the French Alps by five-time world rally event winner Denis Giraudet. This year will be the Frenchman’s 22nd start on the Monte.
“Denis has done the Monza Rally with me for the last two years and he’s the perfect man for the job in Monte Carlo,” said Yates.
“It’s going to be fantastic to compete there for the first time – but the emphasis really is on taking as much experience as possible. It’s the same story for Sweden, which is another first and another really different style event for me. I’ve only done just over 100 miles of testing on snow in my life.”
Beyond the first two rounds, Yates will compete in Corsica, Portugal, Sardinia, Finland, Germany, Spain and GB.
In addition to those rallies, he will tackle the Ypres Rally, the OK Auto Ralli as a Finland warm-up and some British Rally Championship rounds. Yates admitted the regulation change, preserving WRC 2 for privateers, helped decide his programme.
“Of course we want to compete against the factory cars,” he said, “but we have to be realistic and running against private drivers in WRC 2 is better for me. Like I said, this year’s about experience, but we’re not going to drive like grandma. We want to be pushing for podiums towards the end of the season, but to be going to places like Finland is just amazing.”
In addition to his own programme, Yates has also been linked with Rally Team UK ( see p12) for the year ahead.
Rally Tendring and Clacton will join the first two stages together from last year to up the stage mileage in the second year of the pioneering event.
The south-east event made its debut last year, and was the first rally to run entirely on public roads since new law was implemented in England to devolve the power to award closed-road permits to the sport’s governing body Motorsport UK, and the relevant local government authority.
It received almost universal praise, with one of the only items of feedback from competitors being a longer stage would be well received after the longest in 2018’s event was 3.8 miles.
“We’ve confirmed joining the first two stages, stage mileage will be in the mid 50s,” said event director Tony Clements. “There will be four stages, with 17-18 stage miles, run three times.
“As a competitor you like longer stages so that was always part of the plan for the event.
“Having been involved with events for years, if you stand still you’re effectively going backwards. You have to try harder. You have to try and get better every year otherwise you’re going backwards.”
The event takes place on Sunday, April 28 and will once again be based in Clacton. ● The North West Stages has opened for entry. The event had a hiatus in 2018 while organisers planned the implementation of closed-road stages, and they will make up roughly 35 miles of the route. It has moved to Garstang this year and has received over 90 entries as MN closed for press.