Alastair Fisher ready to fly in Rally Finland

RSL Staff

– July 29, 2012Posted in: News, WRC Academy

Alastair Fisher will be well prepared when he resumes his chase of the coveted FIA WRC Academy title on Neste Oil Rally Finland next week (August 1-4).

The 23-year-old from Trillick in County Tyrone holds an eight-point advantage heading to the high-speed gravel event, dubbed the Finnish Grand Prix, in the Ford Fiesta R2 he shares with Burnley, Lancashire-based co-driver Daniel Barritt.

Fisher tested in his native Northern Ireland last week, conducting several runs on a closed section of forest road, and will test again in Finland this Sunday (July 29), when he drives a locally-sourced Fiesta.

“It’s been more than two months since our last WRC Academy round in Greece so it’s good to get back,” said Fisher. “We were leading in Finland last season before we retired and I’ve improved a lot both as a driver and with my physical preparation since then. The test in Northern Ireland allowed Daniel and I to practice our pacenotes and because the road had a few jumps, which there are plenty of in Finland, we were able to develop a base set-up for the rally. Our test in Finland will allow us to get back into the ‘zone’ on a fast and wide road.”

Fisher is one of Britain’s most promising young rally drivers and is determined to build on his strong start to the 2012 season on Rally Finland, which is based in the university city of Jyväskylä and covers 17 special stages over a competitive distanceof 168 miles. “Winning in Finland would be very special for my career and something I’d never forget because it’s such a prestigious rally but we can’t lose sight of the fact it’s all about the championship, that’s the priority,” he added.