Rally-eMag Sept. 2013 / The Inside View
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A technician by trade, Ashley isn’t just seen giving our fleet of Ford Fiesta RS WRCs the once
over during service. Back at M-Sport he is part of
the team responsible for engine rebuilds, attends
a number of pre-event tests and also oversees
our sea and air freight for long-haul events.
lengthy screening processes at the airport. As palette must be weighed and contoured to fit
the boxes are all sealed and signed as safe at perfectly into the aircraft’s hold. The cars travel
M-Sport, they can go straight onto the aircraft.
on standard passenger aircraft – 777 or airbus
– so next time you’re flying to Mexico, Argentina
The rally cars too are transported via air. Where- or Australia, you could well have over a million
as we have a fleet of recce cars on the sea freight pounds worth a rally cars lined up underneath
that travel from one long-haul event to the next, your feet!
Work starts weeks in advance when the team it is not the same for the competition cars which
start to load the air freight.
Obviously, this is just a very
Unlike European events,
brief description of all the
nothing can be last minute –
work that goes into travelling
you can’t just fly a spare part
the team to such distant desover in a couple of hours,
tinations, and doesn’t even
so every department has to
begin to cover all the customs
plan ahead.
paperwork and internal check
lists, but I hope it gives you a
Working in a secure area
better understanding of how it
limited to just a handful of
all works.
personnel, Ashley is responsible packing our three AMP
Now, with our final long-haul
boxes – each rated at three
event done and dusted, it’s
tonnes. It’s a tricky job as
back to Europe and what is
everything has to be calcusure to be one of the most
lated. For example, the drivmomentous events in rallyers’ equipment and an ening history: the 2013 edition
gine may vary dramatically
of Rallye de France-Alsace.
in weight, but the volume is
With Sébastien Loeb bidmore or less the same so
ding farewell to the sport and
everything has to be balSébastien Ogier keen to wrap
anced accordingly.
up the drivers’ championship
on home soil, it’s sure to be
Similarly, and especially in
exciting, and I know of one
Australia, there are strict regyoung Belgian who is certainulations on what can and cannot be brought into are fully stripped and rebuilt at M-Sport before ly capable of upsetting the status quo!
the country. There can be no dangerous goods or each event.
liquids, no aerosols and no food. Thankfully, due
Until next time, au revoir rally fans…
to Ashley’s diligence, the whole process is made Once prepped, the cars are loaded onto palettes
a lot quicker as we don’t have to go through any by Ashley. Again, it’s a tricky process as each