Last updated at 22:04, Thursday, 20 September 2012

CUMBRIA rally driver Matthew Wilson hopes he can raise the budget to compete in the Rally of Spain after his impressive return to action with a top-eight finish at Wales Rally GB.

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 Wilson and co-driver Scott Martin made their first appearance in nine months after attracting sponsorship from several organisations in Cumbria. Their Ford Fiesta RS World Rally car boasts a striking new colour scheme to publicise their new backers, including Invest In Cumbria and Wilson’s dad Malcolm Wilson’s M-Sport Ford World Rally operation, who run the car from their Dovenby Hall headquarters.
Piloting their Ford Fiesta RS WRC to a seventh and eighth fastest time through the opening morning’s tests of the three-day event, they were well on course for a top-10 finish. Then when team-mate Ott Tänak was forced to retire from the event, Wilson claimed eighth place overall on his first gravel event of the season.
But his participation in the Rally of Spain, starting on November 8, is now in doubt unless he can raise more sponsorship. The Cockermouth driver is also hoping to put together a financial package to be able to compete in most of the World Rally Championship rounds next year.
Wilson said: “It was fantastic to be back – I really enjoyed every bit of it. It was brilliant fun.
“I definitely want to be back for Spain and I will be trying as hard as I can to get there, but we will just have to wait and see.”
Jari-Matti Latvala and Miikka Anttila won Wales Rally GB for the second consecutive season for the Dovenby Hall-based Ford team.
*FRESH from his Wales Rally GB success Matthew Wilson is the in-Cumbria newsletter guest editor on Friday (September 21). Sign up for the newsletter at in-Cumbria.com to read his views.

First published at 11:33, Friday, 14 September 2012
Published by http://www.nwemail.co.uk