Gould grabs the wildcard slot
Twenty-year-old Adam Gould from Bristol has been selected for the final ‘Wildcard’ position at the Fiesta SportingTrophy ‘Shootout’ after demonstrating the essence of the ‘Wildcard’ ethos.
Gould will join Jonathan Greer and Alastair Fisher to represent Britain in the competition that will see FST competitors from as far afield as Norway and New Zealand, compete for a place as the M-Sport apprentice in 2008.
After a debate amongst the selection panel it was determined that Gould had shown considerable potential throughout the year, but had also experienced more than his fair share of problems which had prevented him from recording the results that his stage times suggested were possible. Gould led three rallies throughout the 2007 season; the Malcolm Wilson Rally, the Mewla Rally and the McRae Stages before suffering problems that meant he was unable to capitalise on early pace. His best result of the year was second on the Swansea Bay Rally in a car loaned by fellow UK FST competitor Richard Archer.
The two-day Shootout, which takes place on 3-4 December 2007, will consist of physical, psychological and media assessments before competitors demonstrate their driving skills at the Greystoke forest stage.
:: The physical test will be conducted by M-Sport Personal Trainer Barry Johnson who is an active competitor representing Great Britain in Triathlons across the world.
:: The psychological test will be in the form of a 25-question assessment developed in conjunction with Hugh Richards from Edinburgh University’s Sports Psychology Department. This will determine if the competitors’ mental strength is compatible with that of a leading competition driver.
:: Each country will bring a leading journalist and competitors will face this media panel in a press conference format to see how they react under pressure to gain points in the media section.
:: On the final day competitors will be assessed on their driving abilities on a 4 kilometer forest stage, with three runs undertaken and the best two times combined to give their stage time.
The top five competitors at this point will be selected for probably their toughest test; an interview with M-Sport Managing Director, Malcolm Wilson. From this assessment one driver will be offered a 12 month contract to live and work with the BP-Ford World Rally Team at the Dovenby Hall headquarters and to join the team on European rounds of the WRC, supporting the team in a variety of roles.
Adam Gould, 20 from Bristol said:
“I am absolutely delighted to win the wildcard place. Although it as been a mixed year results-wise, I think we’ve shown everyone that we have the pace to be at the front. It is a great opportunity for me to go and prove myself against the best Fiesta drivers in the world for the chance to win an incredible prize.”