Wilson: win is sweetest feeling

Browse pages
Current page

1

Current page

2

Current page

3

Current page

4

Current page

5

Current page

6

Current page

7

Current page

8

Current page

9

Current page

10

Current page

11

Current page

12

Current page

13

Current page

14

Current page

15

Current page

16

Current page

17

Current page

18

Current page

19

Current page

20

Current page

21

Current page

22

Current page

23

Current page

24

Current page

25

Current page

26

Current page

27

Current page

28

Current page

29

Current page

30

Current page

31

Current page

32

Current page

33

Current page

34

Current page

35

Current page

36

Current page

37

Current page

38

Current page

39

Current page

40

Current page

41

Current page

42

Current page

43

Current page

44

Current page

45

Current page

46

Current page

47

Current page

48

Current page

49

Current page

50

Current page

51

Current page

52

Current page

53

Current page

54

Current page

55

Current page

56

Current page

57

Current page

58

Current page

59

Current page

60

Current page

61

Current page

62

Current page

63

Current page

64

Current page

65

Current page

66

Current page

67

Current page

68

Current page

69

Current page

70

Current page

71

Current page

72

Current page

73

Current page

74

Current page

75

Current page

76

Current page

77

Current page

78

Current page

79

Current page

80

Current page

81

Current page

82

Current page

83

Current page

84

Current page

85

Current page

86

Current page

87

Current page

88

Current page

89

Current page

90

Current page

91

Current page

92

Current page

93

Current page

94

Current page

95

Current page

96

Current page

97

Current page

98

Current page

99

Current page

100

Current page

101

Current page

102

Current page

103

Current page

104

Current page

105

Current page

106

Current page

107

Current page

108

Current page

109

Current page

110

Current page

111

Current page

112

Current page

113

Current page

114

Current page

115

Current page

116

Current page

117

Current page

118

Current page

119

Current page

120

Current page

121

Current page

122

Current page

123

Current page

124

Current page

125

Current page

126

Current page

127

Current page

128

Current page

129

Current page

130

Current page

131

Current page

132

Current page

133

Current page

134

Current page

135

Current page

136

Current page

137

Current page

138

Current page

139

Current page

140

Current page

141

Current page

142

Current page

143

Current page

144

Current page

145

Current page

146

Current page

147

Current page

148

Current page

149

Current page

150

Current page

151

Current page

152

Current page

153

Current page

154

Current page

155

Current page

156

Current page

157

Current page

158

Current page

159

Current page

160

Current page

161

Current page

162

Current page

163

Current page

164

Current page

165

Current page

166

Current page

167

Current page

168

Current page

169

Current page

170

Current page

171

Current page

172

Current page

173

Current page

174

Current page

175

Current page

176

Current page

177

Current page

178

Current page

179

Current page

180

Current page

181

Current page

182

Current page

183

Current page

184

Current page

185

Current page

186

Current page

187

Current page

188

Current page

189

Current page

190

Current page

191

Current page

192

Current page

193

Current page

194

Current page

195

Current page

196

After narrowly missing out in 2004, Ford WRC boss Malcolm Wilson dominated this year’s Roger Albert Clark Rally to honour his childhood hero
By Paul Lawrence

For one weekend, Ford’s world rally team boss Malcolm Wilson turned his attention away from state-of-the-art WRC cars to climb back behind the wheel of a Ford Escort. The result was a resounding victory on the Roger Albert Clark Rally.

In 2004, on the first running of the event that honours the memory of one of Britain’s greatest ever rally drivers, Wilson was battling for victory with Stig Blomqvist when he was caught out by slippery conditions in Kielder forest early on the final day.

Fast-forward four years and Wilson headed into the same forest complex with victory in his grasp and a lead of nearly five minutes. “I’m glad I’m not in a battle for the lead,” said Wilson as the cars arrived at Kielder Water for service, with rain in the air and mist swirling over the vast reservoir.

But this time there were no slips and Wilson and co-driver John Millington emerged from the final 18-mile stage in Broomylinn with an even bigger lead to score an emotional victory. “It’s so sweet to win my hero’s rally,” said Wilson, who was an ambitious teenager when Clark was at the top of the game.

Once again, the Roger Albert Clark had been a massive hit with competitors and fans alike. This is an event that turns the clock back to the RAC Rallies of the late 1960s and ’70s, with a tough three days of competition in the forests of Yorkshire, Northumberland and southern Scotland. It brings fans out in their thousands, many reliving their own memories of a golden era of rallying.

Although he went into the final day of the event with a handy lead, life had not been so simple for Wilson on day two as the crews tacked classic stages in the forest of Ae, Twiglees, Castle O’er, Newcastleton and Craik. A stunning charge from young Irishman Martin McCormack in his Ford Escort Mk2 had eaten into Wilson’s lead. Starting the leg with a deficit of 1min 42sec after two offs on day one, McCormack pulled back 50sec before a deceptive right-hander in Craik ended his rally when he slid into a ditch and bent the back axle.

Instead it was David Stokes, a rival to Wilson 30 years ago, who moved into a superb second place with co-driver Guy Weaver in their Ford Escort Mk1. Having just had his car re-shelled after a major accident in Belgium, Stokes drove with both commitment and restraint to lead the chase of Wilson.

Into the top 10 overall and a resounding category one victory came 70-year-old Bob Bean after a stunning drive in his Lotus Cortina, with Malcolm Smithson alongside. Even having to run most of the final stage stuck in second gear failed to remove the grin from Bean’s face.

It’s that sort of rally.