Ahead of his debut for the Cumbria-based Stobart M-Sport Ford Rally Team at Rally Bulgaria next month, Sweden’s Per-Gunnar Andersson took time out of his busy schedule during a visit to team headquarters at Dovenby Hall to speak about his chances at the event and tell us a little bit about himself.

The 30-year-old former Junior World Rally Championship title winner will contest the rally alongside co-driver Johan Andersson in a Stobart branded Ford Focus RS WRC, and will be nominated for points in the seventh round of the FIA World Rally Championship in addition to team-mates Matthew Wilson/Scott Martin.

How do you feel about joining the Stobart M-Sport Ford Rally Team in Bulgaria?

It’s fantastic!  I’m really delighted to join one of the top teams in the WRC and I feel so privileged to have been given this chance

How did the opportunity come about?

I was asked to drive in a Ford Fiesta R2 in the Pirelli International Rally in April.  We nearly didn’t make it because we were delayed by the ash cloud returning from Rally Turkey but ended up driving from Sweden to Cumbria in 28 hours in order to still compete. The rally didn’t go as well as I had hoped but I was asked to stay on for an extra couple of days to do some endurance mileage on the Ford Focus RS WRC and after some good feedback from M-Sport, I was offered the chance to drive in Bulgaria

How do you feel about driving the Ford Focus RS WRC?

I tested the Focus on gravel the other week which was a great experience for me - I know it has the speed to win rallies.  Like anything, you just need to learn how to drive the car in order to get the best performance

What are your thoughts about Rally Bulgaria, do you think it will be a good rally for you?

I’ve not driven on tarmac for over two years now so that is preying on my mind a little.  However, this rally is new for everyone and after I’ve done some testing, I will be prepared as I possibly can be.  My main aim is to get a good final result.  It may take a few stages before I am comfortable but I plan to increase my pace throughout the rally

How did you first get into motorsport?

I’ve been watching rallies since I was really young and have always had an interest in rallying.  My big break came when I started competing in Rallycross when I was 15

What has been your best memory/highlight as a rally driver?

My best memories are winning the two J-WRC titles in 2004 and also in 2007.  Another brilliant memory is when I had my debut in a WRC car in Monte Carlo back in 2008

What has been your worst moment?

That would have to be in 2004 when I rolled my car twice in Greece

What would you suggest to somebody who is trying to get into rally driving?

I would tell them to start on a level they can afford and to try and get as much experience as they can.  My experience of the Fiesta R2 in the Pirelli International Rally was a bit of an eye opener, the R2 is just a small car but feels like it’s a proper rally car – it’s really fast and with the series of championships in different regions this would be a potentially good route for anyone serious about progressing into the sport

What is your fitness regime like?

During the warmer months, I go running and I ski during the winter.  I try to maintain a good level of fitness all year round

How is your fan base back in Sweden?

My fan base in Sweden is great and I seem to have lots of fans - maybe because there hasn’t been a top driver in Sweden for several years.  Joining the Stobart team will help increase the interest of rally in Sweden so it’ll be brilliant news for all of my fans

Who is your motorsport idol?

Colin McRae

Tell us a bit about your home life?

I live with my girlfriend Marie Louise, and her 5-year-old daughter, Alice, in a lovely house in Arjang.  When I came back home from the IRC round in Sardinia last week I found a new member in the family... a cat aged 12 weeks (Elvis)!

What do you do to relax away from motorsport?

I love spending time in the countryside – fishing, hunting and generally relaxing. I really enjoy getting the chance to spend time with my friends and family too. I also like going to other motorsport events but I don’t always have the chance or the time to do that

Favourite car?

I like the look of the new Ford Focus RS 500 – I’ve not had a chance to drive it but it’s been well received by the press and looks really good in black.

Favourite holiday destination?

Thailand

Favourite food?

A good steak!

Where do you aim to be in three years time?

In three years I will be fighting to be the world rally champion... watch out Loeb!

Adrian Sutil continued the Force India F1 Team’s run of points finishes in today’s British Grand Prix. The 27-year-old German secured a hard-fought eighth position, his sixth consecutive top ten finish, to bring the team’s season total so far to 47 points. Tonio Liuzzi similarly put in a fighting performance to end the race in 11th position, less than a second from tenth and nine positions up from grid slot.


Adrian Sutil - car 14, VJM03/03:
8th

Tonio Liuzzi - car 15, VJM03/01:
11th



Both Adrian and Tonio had good first laps, with Adrian up to fifth by the time of his first stop on lap 15. On rejoining Adrian dropped to 13th behind Pedro de la Rosa, but was able to move back to tenth on lap 26 when he passed the Spaniard on the straight. Pedro’s rear wing however came apart, dropping carbon shards on the racing line. A safety car period ensued, after which Adrian was quickly elevated to eighth when Alonso served a drivethrough penalty for passing Kubica off the track. Adrian then scythed past Michael Schumacher through Luffield for seventh, but soon found a charging Vettel in his mirrors. Vettel – third in the championship going into this race – tried every which way to pass Adrian, however he kept him behind for 10 laps until Vettel eventually squeezed past on the final lap.

Tonio moved steadily up the field and was sitting in 15th position by the time of his pit stop just over halfway through the race. He graduated through the field to 11th after a change to the softer tyres but he too had to fight for position until the very end of the race as Alonso sought to regain track position following his penalty. Tonio however kept his nerve and his line to hold onto 11th, only narrowly missing out on giving the team a double points finish.

Rally Team Scotland’s home event in the MSA British Rally Championship saw driver John MacCrone set some blisteringly fast stage times but an early driveshaft problem stranded the crew on the Jim Clark Rally this weekend.

MacCrone and co-driver Stuart Loudon’s frustrating problem on just the second stage of the event left them at the back of the field before setting the timesheets alight on their way back to claim third in the Fiesta Sport Trophy.

The Jim Clark Rally was the first of three consecutive all-Tarmac events in the British Championship taking place in Scotland, Isle of Man and Northern Ireland. The event took in some great closed public road stages around Duns in the Scottish Borders – the homeland of the rally’s namesake. Clark was one of the greatest ever Formula 1 drivers and hailed from Duns and the rally was celebrating its ruby 40th anniversary this year.

The Jim Clark Rally is a unique challenge for drivers. It’s the only rally on public roads in mainland Britain and it offered 140 miles of high-speed, flowing stages around the picturesque Borders countryside. Stages are smooth and very demanding with high hedges making drivers even more reliant on accurate pacenotes.

Twenty-year-old MacCrone’s Tarmac experience is limited mainly to competing on his home rally on the Isle of Mull but he blitzed the field on the very first short stage around Duns town centre on Friday evening, finishing 10th overall and topping the timesheets for the Fiesta Sport Trophy crews.

But his Palletforce-backed Ford Fiesta R2 broke a driveshaft on the next test and he was unable to make it through to the finish and was forced to retire.

Rally Team Scotland’s mechanics set to work and had replaced the offending part overnight allowing MacCrone and Loudon to re-start the event the next morning under SupeRally rules – albeit back in last position. These regulations penalise crews by 10 minutes for every stage missed on the first day but allow them to re-enter and gain experience of the roads and the rally on the second day.

After settling into Saturday’s first stage, the 11.2 mile Wedderburn, MacCrone started to prove just why he was listed by Motorsport News as the UK’s top young motorsport driver at the start of this year.

He powered the Tunnocks Fiesta through stages 9 and 10 claiming 11th overall on both and was second in the R2 category through the Swinton stage – with its unnerving high speeds jumps testing drivers’ commitment to the limit. By the time it returned to Service at Kelso Racecourse, the Rally Team Scotland car had already moved up five places in the leaderboard.

MacCrone and Loudon had been fastest Fiesta all morning and continued that feat for the rest of the event. Their performance was relentless throughout the rest of the day as they continued to impress, even when road conditions turned damp and slippery on the last few stages, and were rewarded with the final podium position in the Fiesta Trophy for their efforts.

Although not the best of final results for MacCrone and the team, the event did prove the youngster’s speed on Tarmac and provided valuable experience and an exciting sense of optimism for the next championship round at Rally Isle of Man. The British Championship crews head across the Irish Sea to take part in one of the series’ classic, and most-demanding, events from 9-10 July.

John MacCrone said, “This rally was always going to be tough and as our first event on Tarmac this year I really wanted to come away with experience. So you can imagine how frustrating it was on Friday night when the driveshaft broke. But I’m at the stage in my career where experience is crucial and that’s why it was so important to get back out there again the next day. One of the most positive things to come from the rally was the quality of my pacenotes. I’ve spent a lot of time working on them with Stuart and it’s really starting to pay off. The car feels great on Tarmac and that’s really good for the next two rallies.”

FIA World Rally Championship driver Matthew Wilson and co-driver Scott Martin have completed a mammoth 985km on Trek Madone road bikes in Corsica over the past week in a bid to raise money for the RPJCrohn’s Foundation.

A break in the WRC calendar during the month of June, between Rally Portugal and Rally Bulgaria, allowed a window for the Stobart M-Sport Ford duo to take part in the Tour de Corse charity event.

The RPJ Crohn’s Foundation was set up earlier this year by Matthew’s friend, Rick Parfitt Jnr, to help raise funds to support the National Association for Colitis and Crohn’s Disease (NACC).

The rally stars completed the route around the French island of Corsica in eight days but, with the longest day consisting of 181km and the highest peak at 1477m, it was no easy feat in temperatures topping 36 degrees Celsius. Wilson also suffered from a cold in the final days but still managed to make it to the end of the gruelling charity cycle challenge.

M-Sport has also auctioned a variety of exclusive items on eBay over the past week in order to raise additional money for the RPJ Crohn's Foundation. Items included a Stobart-branded race suit signed by Matthew Wilson, and driving gloves signed by BP-Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team drivers Mikko Hirvonenand Jari-Matti Latvala. During the remainder of June, more items will be added to the auction site, including Wilson and Martin’s signed cycling gear.

Wilson and Martin would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for their continued support and donations to the RPJ Crohn’s Foundation so far. Those who would still like to donate can do so by visiting the JustGiving website which will be open until the end of June - http://www.justgiving.com/tourdecorse

Matthew Wilson said:

“Everything went really smoothly – we had no punctures or major problems which is quite surprising considering there were four of us! We didn’t always stick to our schedule and when we were having a good day, we really pushed ourselves. On the final day we only had 100km left to reach the end; adrenaline kicked in and we upped our pace to finish well ahead of schedule. There was one day where we had to do a 34km climb up to 1477 metres and I’d say that was the low point and a real test of our endurance. It was so hot whilst we were cycling too - about 36 degrees Celsius every day, but we had one afternoon when it rained which was well appreciated at the time! I also caught a cold at the weekend which made the final days more difficult than I had been expecting. We enjoyed every minute of the Tour de Corse though and I really want to thank everyone for their continued donations and support for the RPJ Crohn’s Foundation.”

Zandvoort Foreword:

For 2010 the Formula Ford Championship of Great Britain re-introduced its customary overseas round after the event was left out of the 2009 calendar due to its cost implication. However the decision to re-introduce the two race meetings, this year being held at the wonderful Zandvoort Circuit located on the Dutch coast, was a huge success.

The event was held in conjunction with the highly regarded F3 Masters event and attracted crowds of 43,000 over the two day meeting who came to see the F1 stars of tomorrow, as well as current F1 star Sebastian Vettel and his Redbull car.

The event was widely regarded as a huge success by both fans and spectators alike with bright sunshine being the weather of choice right up until Sunday evening when heavy rain fell, ironically it fell just as the final race of the day (British Formula Ford) was about to get underway!

‘Arriving at Zandvoort on Wednesday I could instantly see that the race weekend was likely to be a great event, with the sun shining, crowds flocking and the circuit looking like a real drivers track. I also felt really good in the build-up to the meeting and in all my preparation that I had been doing prior to the races so, was thoroughly looking forward to getting out on track.

After two successful testing sessions, qualifying went relatively well, I was very happy with my performance as my times were coming down, it’s just a shame I didn’t have a little more time in the car prior to quali so I could really maximise my performance.

Race 1 was fairly straight forward in the dry and the 25mins flew by, again with me able to reduce my lap times, but race 2...wow race 2!

When it started to rain prior to the start of race 2 a little smile came to my face, I had been joking with the team that it was going to rain since Friday when the bright sunshine was out and they all thought I was mad, who knew I would be right!

I generally consider myself as a good wet weather driver and race 2 was no different, I was really pumped and looking forward to it.