David Meredith round two preview

David ready for tarmac test.

When Dolgellau based David Meredith decided to move up a 4 wheel drive for the 2007 British Rally Championship he was expecting a huge learning curve. But after finishing seventh overall and third in class on the season opening Pirelli International Rally, the 28 year old farmer has shown he has the talent to adapt to the new machinery very quickly.

David, who won the 2006 'stars of the future' championship in an under powered MG, and with one rally to spare, built his Mitsubishi Evo 9 in his back yard and despite virtually no pre event testing was still on the pace throughout the weekend, setting a string of competitive times in his near standard Mitsubishi Evo 9.

Co-driven by Carlisle based Jemma Bellingham the pair were very happy with their rally but both admit that there is a lot more to come from both the car and the duo.

As I have very little experience in a car of this calibre I am running it in near standard spec at the moment, and will upgrade bits throughout the year, as I get to grips with the power and the road handling, but so far the car has run faultlessly and I am loving the experience!

David, who won the 'stars' class on the Jim Clark Rally in 2006, is under no illusions for the forthcoming event and is hoping to do some pre event testing ahead of the second round.

The 2007 Jim Clark Rally begins with 2 short spectator stages on Friday night, followed by two long and intense days of rallying along closed public rounds around the home of Jim Clark, in South Scotland. The ceremonial finish is on Sunday afternoon, back in Kelso.

-credit: geoff mayes