Isle of Man based co-driver
Rob Fagg tomorrow (Saturday) begins the first of two
back-to-back events on opposite sides of the world,
and goes into both chasing championship glory.
The 27 year-old once again teams up with former
Production World Rally Champion Martin Rowe for this
weekends, China Rally Langyou. The three day event
is not only the final round of the Chinese Rally
Championship, but also the FIA Asia-Pacific series,
meaning competition will be tough.
Rowe and Fagg have been driving in China throughout the year at the
wheel of a Mitsubishi Evo 9 for the KST Ralliart
Team.
With foreign drivers ineligible for the drivers and
co-drivers crowns their main aim is to win the
prestigious Teams Cup. KST go into the last round
tied for the lead with the Honghe Rally Team, who
have recruited the newly crowned Finnish Rally
Champion Jari Ketomaa, and Wan Yu who have Ketomaa’s
Finnis compatriot Juha Salo in a bid to clinch the
honours.
The China Rally Zhejiang Langyou begins with city
centre super-special in Quzhou on Saturday
afternoon, followed by a 15 kilometre stage. Nine
further stages follow on Sunday and six more
complete the all-gravel event on Monday. In total
the 17 tests cover 233 kilometres.
Speaking from Quzhou on Friday, Rob had just
finished the recce. "The stages are going to be
testing; it's very muddy after a lot of recent rain,
he revealed, "but Martin won this round last year
with Rory Kennedy co-driving, so that'll hopefully
stand us in good stead."
Among the other opposition are the Australian and New Zealand champions, Cody Crocker and
Richard Mason, and Japan's Katsuhiko Taguchi and
Takuma Kamada. Former British and US Pro Rally
Champion David Higgins also returns to the series,
driving for the WY Rally Team in a similar
Mitsubishi to Rowe and Fagg.
Rob has been contesting the Super 1600 category of
the Pirelli British Rally Championship with rising Shropshire driver James Wozencroft in a Thompson Garages
Suzuki Ignis. The Cardiff based event is also the final round of
this championship, and the pair go into it leading
the standings from WRC factory Suzuki driver Guy
WIlks.
RallyGB is a round of the Junior World Championship
that Wilks contests, but as an added bonus James and
Rob have been nominated by Britain's governing body
for a wild-card entry that makes them eligible for
points in that series.
"It's great to have the nomination", Rob says, "The
main job though is the British title. Unfortunately
due to commitments in China I don't return to the UK until Tuesday tea-time, so
will miss the recce, but I have an experienced
co-driver undertaking that task for me. It's very
tricky as we lead by three points over Wilks but he
has a score in hand. Ideally we must beat him or he
retire on the event and us finish which would give
us the title. We also have to bear in mind that
coming first or second in class of the BRC crews
would clinch the team title for Dealer Team Suzuki."
Rob has already had a highly successful year,
securing a class title on the Pirelli Irish Tarmac
Championship and the outright co-drivers title in
the Av Craine & Sons Manx Rally Championship.
Rob is
supported in 2006 by the Isle of Man Sports Aid Foundation, Isle of
Man Steam Packet Company, www.Mexperience.com , Advanced Autosport
Technologies, Dunlop Tyres, Robert Graham & Co Chartered Quantity
Surveyors, NickyGrist.com
and Manx Telecom.
Media
325/11/2006
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