Seb Marshall Rallying

Marshall Endures A Punishing Pirelli Rally

19/04/2009

20-year-old Co-Driver Seb Marshall endured a frustrating finish to this weekends Pirelli International Rally, the second round of the British Rally Championship.

Having recently attended a Pace Note training session with 2003 World Rally Champion Co-Driver Phil Mills, Seb and regular driver Adam Gould were feeling confident heading into the rally which bears the name of their own sponsor Pirelli.

After impressing massively on their 4WD debut just three weeks before, the young pairing were fast once again on the opening two stages on Friday night, completing the tough 17 miles in the Kershope forest just five seconds adrift of round 1 winner Keith Cronin in fifth place in their Subaru Impreza.

Continuing where they left off on the first two stages of Saturday morning, the MSA British Rally Elite duo were locked in an intense battle with one of Seb's former drivers, David Bogie in a Mitsubishi Evo X. Just 0.1 seconds separated them going into the 11.75 miles of Roughside, where a minor error was to cost Marshall any chance of continuing, as they lay beached in a ditch.

"We'd been having a good run up til then, and were really pleased with the increase in pace since the Bulldog." said Seb, "Unfortunately a small mistake when exiting a chicane caused a wheel to drop into one of the notorious Kielder ditches, which pulled the whole car in."

With no chance of been extricated by the spectators on hand, and a small fire from the hot exhaust setting light to wood in the ditch to deal with, Seb and Adam were left to contemplate what might have been.

"It's hugely disappointing, particularly as we were in a tight battle and a few competitors ahead of us had also encountered difficulties. It's the lost mileage in learning the car that is most frustrating. But nonetheless we've got 3 tarmac rallies in a row now which is a whole new exiting challenge to deal with."

The next round of the BRC, the Jim Clark International Rally takes place on May 22-23. It's a rally which Seb has fond memories of, it being the first time he partnered Gould last year, claiming the Pirelli Star Driver nomination in the process.

 

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