SNOWMAN RALLY - ALICK KERR - FIRST IN CLASS DESPITE GEARBOX WOES

The Leaker Direct backed Ford Fiesta ST of Lanarkshire rally driver Alick Kerr made it to the finish of the Snowman Rally, the 1st round of the Scottish Rally Championship, in the forests to the north of Inverness despite having no 2nd gear throughout the rally.

“It was frustrating at times but we managed to get to the end without losing too much time,” commented Kerr, “We damaged the gearbox the week before in Norway and were unable to source the parts in time to carry out the repair.”

The team were at the John Haugland rally school on the frozen lakes of Norway the week before the rally but were unable to repair the gearbox despite the parts having been sent directly from the M-Sport facility in Cumbria. Unfortunately, a customs delay meant that the car could not be repaired in time for the rally in Inverness.

The slippy stages were certainly a challenge for the young crew. A puncture in stage 4 meant that Kerr lost around 40 seconds but a good time on the 5th and final stage saw him claw back a bit of time to finish 26th overall and first in class from a starting field of 119. “Given the circumstances, I’m quite happy with the way things turned out today,” said Kerr, “We were worried that the gearbox wouldn’t hold out for the rally but it only really affected us in the slower corners.”

This was Kerr’s first rally in the new Leaker Direct backed Ford Fiesta ST, his first time in a left-hand drive and the first rally with new co-driver Drew Sturrock from Marykirk in Aberdeenshire. “We’ve learnt a lot over the last week which should stand us in good stead for the rest of the season but we’ve got a lot of work to do for the next rally,” commented Kerr, “We have a bit of damage to repair, a gearbox to rebuild and only two weeks in which to do it.”

The next outing for the Leaker Direct team will be the Malcolm Wilson Rally based in Cockermouth on Saturday 1st March. This will be the 1st round of the 6 event UK Fiesta Sporting Trophy.

Further information on the team can be found at www.alickkerr.com







www.alickkerr.com