Rally Treat for Hoy and British Cycling
A regular working Thursday recently saw a select group of staff from British Cycling travel to the picturesque county of Cumbria as guests of the Stobart Motorsport team where they were treated to an exhilarating ride in a rally car driven by world class driver Matt Wilson as well as being given a tour of the team's headquarters.
The staff began their day with a helicopter ride from the Stobart Group's headquarters near Warrington to the Greystoke Forest in Cumbria which was bathed in bright sunshine, a trip that enabled them to witness the fantastic Lake District scenery from the air.
Iain Dyer, Jan van Eijden, Peter Taylor, Darren Gilmore and four time Olympic Gold medallist Sir Chris Hoy along with Pilot Allan Byers shortly after they touched down in the Greystoke Forest, a few hundred yards from where the Stobart Motorsport team were set up for the day.
Once at the Greystoke Forest, the British Cycling staff were all then given a briefing about what to expect in their passenger seat ride in the works Ford Focus driven by Matt, the youngest ever driver to win a stage and score championship points in a WRC event.
Then, one-by-one, the staff were strapped into the car by the support crew and given the ride of their life around the Greystoke Forest. From the moment the car was ‘launched' off a start line to reach speeds of 100mph in seconds on the loose gravel, the ride was a spectacular mixture of ‘G' forces as Matt continuously accelerated and braked as he traveled at high speed around the bends in the road in a sideways manner that many who have seen rallies live or on TV will be able to relate to.
Chris Hoy, above, and Darren Gilmore, below both sampled the car!
It was quite simply an awesome experience for every one of the British Cycling staff who had their chance in the rally car. GB Mechanic, Peter ‘Spike' Taylor, has tasted life in a rally car before and found the day out really exciting. "On the start line, that was the first time I have ever experienced ‘launch control' where we went from zero to 160 kilometres an hour in five or six seconds which was just phenomenal. The amount of grip the car had in the corners was just amazing too."
"Matt told me his pace notes for driving the car were very simple - flat out or brake! It was a really exhilarating ride but also quite interesting for the technical aspects of what was going on inside the car. Matt is well respected rally driver, running in the top 10 in the world most of the time, so to get an experience with one of the top drivers was just fantastic, a once in a life time opportunity."
Another who found the ride in a rally car a great experience was Sir Chris Hoy who is a very keen motorsport and rallying fan. Recalling his time in the car with Matt, Chris explained "there were times when you were thinking ‘there is no way he is going to be able to get round the corner at this speed' and then Matt just does it. That was really really impressive."
Chris Hoy, Iain Dyer and Matt Wilson share a joke
"So many things must be going through Matt's mind like picking up details such as where the ruts and stones are in the corner and so on and yet it just seems to flow through so smoothly. I have always had huge respect for rallying and always been a big admirer of the rally drivers over the years but to actually be in the car on a really fast section of road like that helped me appreciate just how impressive they are."
After the time in the rally car with Matt, the British Cycling group travelled to the team's headquarters at an historic venue in Dovenby (near Cockermouth). With parts of the housing dating back to the 12th century, the park setting is quite fantastic but not even it can compare with the workshops within the various buildings which comprised of room after room after room of skilled engineers all making sure every component is as perfect as it can be for the unimaginable stresses it will face during a rally.
Before the Tour of the Stobart-Motorsport facilities started, the British Cycling team presented keen cyclist Matt Wilson with a team Trek bike to add to his collection of bikes for riding on and off the road. The rally driver started riding bikes two or three years ago once his training for motorsport got more serious and it was something he found he really enjoyed.
Legendary GB mechanic and closet rally driver, Peter Taylor, looked very at home in the car
Matt last year did one of the most memorable rides any cyclist can do when he completed the Lands End to John O'Groats in the summer. Based in Cumbria, Matt explained "I really enjoy riding the bike, especially around here in weather like this - you can't beat it."
The rally driver who spends a lot of time on the road travelling to WRC events around the world added that when at home, he does try to get out on the bike every day training at different intensities to suit his fitness needs. Matt went on to say "the training on the bike pays off as well like when we go to the rallies in Greece during the summer, it's 40 degrees outside and can get up to nearly 70 degrees inside the car, so the fitter you are, the more that helps you in those sort of situations."
Looking at the bare bones - almost bike like - with Malcolm Wilson
Matt then joined the British Cycling group as it was guided around the ever so clean and orderly kept workshops by his father, team boss and former top rally driver Malcolm Wilson and Malcolm's wife Elaine. Along the way, the British Cycling staff saw familiar faces like top masters cyclo-cross star Phil Roach and son Matt working for the team and other cyclists involved in downhill mountain biking too.
The final stop of the day was the team's museum of historic cars which put smiles on the faces of many of the British Cycling staff who all know a thing or two about rallying and motorsport and felt right at home around these monuments of history in motorsport. A helicopter ride back to Warrington then followed to cap off a truly memorable day thanks to everyone at Stobart Motorsport who the team would like to thank for their warm and friendly hospitality.
