Exclusive Interview With M-Sports Matthew Wilson
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The Guide asked the 23-year-old Stobart M-Sport Ford driver what advice he could share with young drivers on today's roads in view of the high power available in many everyday vehicles.
Matthew said: "I think it's important to remember that speed kills. Nobody is invincible and you can never predict what will happen on the roads. Sometimes it's not what you are capable of but what others may do on the road and if you drive too fast, this reduces your reaction time dramatically."
Q. How different is the open road of a rally from the day to day environment of modern roads?
"There's really no comparison. On a rally, the roads are specially prepared for us to drive with lots of protective barriers. When you're driving on the open roads, you've got no idea what's round the corner so it's just not worth taking risks. Rallies are designed for us to drive fast but the day to day environment of modern roads offer no protection if you choose to drive recklessly."
Q. How many times have you rolled and escaped from rally crashes?
"In recent years I've been lucky but in April 2005 I had a bad accident at a rally in Wales. Scott (Martin) and I ended up quite heavily injured and we were out of the car for nearly five months. It took a bit of time to recover mentally from that accident as it was such a shock. Rallying is a dangerous sport and my accident has never let me forget that."
Q. In cornering what is the advice to drivers in retaining roadholding and avoiding skidding?
"Car control is extremely important in roadholding. I'd say those who lose control of their car find it is mostly a result of driving too fast. Gradual braking helps to avoid skidding - it is natural instinct to automatically lock the brakes but the best method is to come off the brakes slightly to find grip and this helps to judge the road. Weather conditions also affect the roads hugely and drivers underestimate how dangerous slippery roads can be after a heavy downpour. The only method to retain roadholding on wet roads is to watch your speed."
Q. At what age did you first drive high speed rally cars?
"I took part in my first ever rally in 2003 when I acted as co-driver for my Dad (Malcolm Wilson) but 12 months later I was lucky enough to be behind the wheel of a rally car myself. In 2004, I competed in the British Rally Championship and finished third overall. In the same year "I also made my debut in the FIA World Rally Championship and finished 13th at Wales Rally GB. In 2006, I moved up to compete in the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) driving on behalf of the Stobart M-Sport Ford Rally Team and I'm now in my fifth year.
Stobart M-Sport Ford's Matthew battled to finish eighth overall at Strasbourg. The newly-located Strasbourg event marked the first time that Matthew and co-driver Scott Martin had driven their Ford Focus RS WRC on asphalt since ADAC Rallye Deutschland in August and the British duo were locked in an exciting battle for seventh place with Munchi's Ford driver Federico Villagra from the outset.
Matthew initially struggled to adapt to the slippery sealed surface and the patchy conditions on Friday's opening asphalt tests made it difficult for the 23-year-old to find the right rhythm due to the constant change of grip.
Matthew added: "This has easily been the hardest WRC round of 2010 in my opinion - I can't believe this was a Tarmac event as there was just so much mud on the stages. When Scott (Martin) and I pulled into final service yesterday, you only had to look at the amount of mud caked all over the cars to understand how dirty it had been out there. There were even some sections I think we would have been more effective using gravel tyres. There's also been some very changeable conditions on this rally and I think that this is one of the most difficult things about rallying - it makes it very hard to maintain any form of rhythm as the grip was constantly changing. Some of the stages this weekend reminded me of Monte Carlo - that is one of the hardest rallies in my opinion and this rally has been no different. I'm slightly disappointed to not have been able to catch up Federico [Villagra] as we were so close to catching him yesterday afternoon but I'm just happy to have made it to the end of such a tough event and to get some more points for the team."
Matthew's father and Stobart M-Sport Ford Team Principal, Malcolm Wilson added:
"The conditions on the stages in France were extremely tough for the Stobart M-Sport Ford Rally Team and Matthew has done well to finish in eighth place. We have been delighted to welcome Ken Block to the points-scoring line up for the Stobart crew for this event and it is fantastic that he has finished 12th on such a challenging event. We've also just found out that he has won the Abu Dhabi Spirit of the Rally award for this event which he thoroughly deserves after the work he has done to help raise public awareness of both the sport and championship. I would also like to point out how delighted the team have been with Henning Solberg this weekend - even though he wasn't part of the points scoring line-up for the Stobart crew over the weekend, he has been a dedicated team-mate for Matthew over the past few seasons and he dominated the S2000 class from start to finish driving the Ford Fiesta S2000."
