Matthew Wilson will spearhead Team GB’s efforts on next month’s Rally of Nations Guanajuato after announcing his participation in the event.
The former M-Sport World Rally Championship driver will be competing in a Rally2 car, and his participation in the Rally of Nations event – which is running for the first time since 2009 – will be the first time he has competed outside of the UK since 2013.
But although Wilson is now a director at M-Sport and no longer competes full-time, he is no stranger to the controls of a modern rally car, having contested most of last year’s British Rally Championship – winning the Grampian Forest Rally in Scotland.
Guanajuato is a very long way from British rallying – both geographically and characteristically – but Wilson is excited to experience the Mexican atmosphere once again.
“I always did enjoy it. It was a unique challenge,” Wilson explained. “It’s different to anywhere else with the altitude and lack of power.
“You had to have a slightly different style of driving just to make sure you tried not to kill the speed unnecessarily because obviously with less power it was always harder to get it back if you like. So it always had its own unique challenges.
“I think they look like they’ve got a good format. It’s got a full-on day on Saturday and Sunday but the street stage on Friday night and stuff – it’s got a nice feel to it itinerary-wise.
“The atmosphere was always incredible, that was the thing. That side of it was always brilliant.”
Wilson does have prior experience of Mexico, having competed on the event on four previous occasions, the last being 2011 when the event was being run as a WRC round.
Wilson is the third driver to have confirmed their entry into the Rally of Nations, with Harri Rovanperä (Finland) and Mads Østberg (Norway) having previously announced that they would be attending.
