Rally-eMag Sept. 2013 / The Inside View
The Inside VieW
By: Anna Louise Rudd
Images: Qatar M-Sport WRT
Anna Louise is the Press Officer of the Qatar M-Sport World Rally Team.
she is the one who knows what’s going on with anyone in the team, from the
drivers to the bosses, to the mechanics and the engineers. In her monthly
column she gives you a peek behind the scenes of a world rally teaM.
After travelling half way around the world for Rally Australia, I am now safely back at M-Sport HQ.
As a Rally Australia virgin, the hype didn’t disappoint and the Southern Hemisphere fixture has to
be one of my favourites of the year!
As the cars drove back into Coffs Harbour for
midday service on Friday, I didn’t see Thierry
or Nicolas once. They were straight into the engineering office, watching their onboards and
amending their pacenotes for the afternoon loop.
That’s dedication right there, and it certainly paid
The whole team were truly made to feel at home dividends.
– any media centre which keeps you constantly Of course it wasn’t all fun and games and, as you
supplied with coffee, sweets and chocolate is always going to be a winner with me!
We also had some special Aussie guests visit us
in the service park in the form of a huge snake
and a baby crocodile. I’m delighted to add that
whereas the boys weren’t too keen, I was first in
line to give our slithery friend a cuddle.
The rally itself didn’t disappoint either with another sensational drive from Thierry [Neuville]
and Nicolas [Gilsoul]. This was the Belgians’ first
time in Australia, but they didn’t allow their inexperience to hinder a fourth consecutive runner-up
spot to strengthen their second place in the drivers’ championship.
20/52
Indeed, you will meet few crews who work as
hard as Thierry and Nicolas. They may have had
a difficult start to the event with some overly optimistic pacenotes, but they regrouped brilliantly.
might
imagine,
there is an incredible amount of
work involved in transporting the championship’s
largest rally team to the other side of the world.
Key to this process is one of M-Sport’s most devoted and longest-serving employees – Ashley
Fowler.