The British Rally Championship moves to gravel for this weekend’s Carlisle Stages – and Rob Cotton is relishing the challenge.
The John Easson Award winner was in brilliant form on the opening round, the all-tarmac East Riding Stages, but Saturday’s event will be a tough test.
“I have never been to Kielder before, so I have had to try and acclimatise myself with the stages by watching videos,” explained Rob.
“Most of the others in my class have experience of the roads there, but that’s something I will need to overcome on the day.”
And in another first, Rob and co-driver Owen Paterson will be making their own pacenotes on Friday’s official recce.
He said: “It is one of the real attractions of the BRC for me. To progress my career, I have to be able to make my own notes from scratch, something I haven’t been able to do before.
“I was using supplied notes on the Scottish Championship last year, and spent a lot of time amending them to suit my driving style.
“I am slightly apprehensive about the process, but I have no doubt it will be a big advantage to us once the rally starts.”
Seeded at car 23, Rob has his sights set on the Subaru Cup, the BRC National class, and the tightly-contested class 2 in his self-prepared Subaru Impreza B13.
“We’ve spent all our time since the East Riding Stages rebuilding the top end of the engine, replacing the turbo, which was scrap after the rally, and swapping the brakes and suspension from tarmac to gravel,” added Rob.
“Our approach to the event will be to do the first stage and see how the car feels. It’s important not to go too hard too soon, but try and get close to the limit without taking too many risks.
“There are some really quick Evos in class 2, so we need to be close to their stage times. If we are a couple of seconds off, then we can close that gap. If it’s 20 seconds, we will just let them go.
“There are some really quick Evos in class 2, so we need to be close to their stage times. If we are a couple of seconds off, then we can close that gap. If it’s 20 seconds, we will just let them go.
“It is always about balancing the need for speed versus the danger of crashing out. As ever, we will be giving it 100 per cent.”
*JEA runner-up Meghan O’Kane is also competing this weekend, she is seeded car 92 in her Fiesta R2 with Nikki Addison on the maps.
Rob Cotton would like to thank
2300 Club John Easson Award
Cotton Competition
North Coat Ltd
Questmead Ltd
Motordrive Seats
PD Extinguishers
Proflex UK
British Rally Championship
Project Podium Rally Foundation
Rally Stages
MRF Motorsport Tyres UK
Service & Sport
Cotton Competition
North Coat Ltd
Questmead Ltd
Motordrive Seats
PD Extinguishers
Proflex UK
British Rally Championship
Project Podium Rally Foundation
Rally Stages
MRF Motorsport Tyres UK
Service & Sport
