Kerr tests biofuel on Malcolm Wilson Rally
The Leaker Direct backed rally team of Alick Kerr (19) and Drew Sturrock (18) headed south last weekend for the first round of the UK Fiesta SportingTrophy held as part of the Malcolm Wilson Rally based in Cockermouth, Cumbria. Registered Fiesta competitors were also invited to an M-Sport organised test day on the Thursday prior to the rally followed by training sessions at the M-Sport facility on the Friday.
“The test day was a great opportunity to make sure the car was running properly as we’d fitted a new gearbox a few days ago and we’re now using E85 bio-ethanol fuel,” said Kerr. “This was the first chance we’d had to test the gearbox and fuel and the car held up well.”
For 2008 all competitors in the UK Fiesta SportingTrophy are pioneering E85 Bio-Ethanol as an environmentally positive, high performance control fuel. The championship has developed a ‘green’ strategy to lead the way to a more sustainable future by showcasingCO2 efficient rallying. Ethanol has a higher octane rating than normal petrol giving a faster flame speed in the cylinder, so the fuel burns faster, increasing the engine efficiency, resulting in both an increase in engine power and torque.
The rally itself didn’t go entirely to plan with a puncture in the very first stage. At the end of the day, the crew finished 7th Fiesta from a field of 15 starters. “We found the conditions very tricky today as the stages were slippy due to the heavy rain the previous day,” commented Kerr, “It was difficult to get into a rhythm which was reflected in our stage times.”
Both satellite and terrestrial TV channels will cover the six round Fiesta SportingTrophy, which gives maximum exposure to the team’s sponsors. Lanarkshire based Leaker Direct (Distribution) Ltd, Glenmuir Ltd and ASD Graphics are all keen to increase their profiles within the sport and the Fiesta Sporting Trophy provides a perfect opportunity to reach a UK wide market.
The next event for the team will be the Border Counties Rally based in Jedburgh. This will be the second round of the Scottish Rally Championship where the team hope to repeat their class winning performance on the previous Snowman Rally.