Stephen Wright - 2014 Belgian Rally Championship

Stephen Remains Upbeat Despite Premature End To Season

Posted: November 9, 2014 6:32 PM

It should have been all stations go this week for the Wright Rally Team as crewmembers prepared for the final round of the Belgian Rally Championship, Rally du Condroz. Unfortunately though, Motorsport Ireland Young Rally Driver of the Year, Stephen Wright, has had to withdraw his entry for the event due to the unavailability of a gearbox component for his Peugeot 208 R2. It’s a tough blow for the talented Monaghan driver but he remains philosophical on his season to date.

“We’re all gutted to be missing the last event of the Belgian Championship, Rallye du Condroz,” said Stephen earlier. “It’s one of the biggest events in the Belgian rally calendar and the atmosphere was sure to be electric with some really high profile entries. While it’s easy to be disappointed, it is more important to look back at the positives from this year and I think up until now, the positives have far outweighed the negatives.”

The positives have seen Wright compare his pace against the best young drivers in Europe and take a career best international finish in Ireland. Stephen is quick to thank those who made his 2014 campaign possible. “Motorsport Ireland and The Irish Sports Council along with my sponsors and team afforded us the opportunity to try something different and step out of our comfort zone. We produced top results throughout the season on unfamiliar events to lie 2nd in the 208 Rally Trophy heading into the final round. This was a great feeling, particularly after demonstrating class winning pace on the penultimate round. Coupled with that I think our podium finish on the Cork 20 Rally demonstrated just how much we have developed this season and driver development is what the Billy Coleman Award is all about.”

With his 2014 season now at a close, Stephen is looking forward to next season but not before paying tribute to the navigators and service crew who kept him on the straight and narrow all season. “My sister Susanne, Karl Atkinson and Mikie Galvin have done a superb job on the notes all year along with the guys at Rainey Rally Prep who ensured the car ran without fault all season. Now we will begin to concentrate on next year and I’m excited to see what the 2015 season will bring.”

Wright Gears Up For Flanders

Posted: November 9, 2014 6:32 PM

It’s back to Belgium this weekend for the Wright Rally Team where current Motorsport Ireland Young Rally Driver of the Year Stephen Wright, will contest the ConXoin Tour of Flanders Rally. After a short outing on the recent Ulster Rally which was tragically halted, Stephen is hoping to resume his Belgian assault with renewed vigour in his rapid Peugeot 208 R2.

The Belgian Championship takes a summer break in July and August but Stephen has kept his eye in on European tarmac by competing in Luxembourg in the interim. “The last round I drove in Belgium was Ypres at the end of June so I was happy to get the seat time in Luxembourg before this weekend. European tarmac is a very challenging surface to drive on and the more experience I gain of it the better. Luxembourg also helped my points tally in the 208 Trophy which is one of my main goals this year” said Stephen speaking ahead of this weekend.

The experienced Karl Atkinson will partner Stephen in Flanders and the pair are looking forward to another successful weekend on the continent after Karl navigated Stephen to 5th in the 208 Trophy on the Rally de Wallonie back in April. However, the change of navigator doesn’t faze Stephen. “Switching co-drivers shouldn't be a problem. Karl knows my style of pacenotes very well, brings a lot of knowledge to the table and we have a very good understanding. It will be important to settle in quickly as the championship is still up for grabs but we'll have to produce a strong result this weekend.”

You can follow Stephen and Karl’s progress this weekend by following them on Twitter @StephenWr1ght and @karlatkinson116 and more information on the Wright Rally Team is available by visiting www.wrightrally.com. Stephen is competing this season with the support of the Killyhevlin Hotel and Health Club, Spanwright Concrete Flooring, Lafarge Tarmac, Solmatix, Motorsport Ireland and The Irish Sports Council.

April Adventures

Posted: November 9, 2014 6:30 PM

Stephen Wright has reached the end of his hectic April schedule that saw him tackle 3 rallies in 3 weekends in Ireland and Belgium behind the wheel of his Peugeot 208 R2.

Stephen’s first event of the month saw him travel to the TAC Rally in Belgium, which is based around the town of Tielt. Despite challenging roads and foggy conditions on some of the stages, Stephen with elder sister Susanne on the pacenotes, finished a brilliant 16th overall and 2nd among the Peugeot 208 Rally Trophy runners. As an added bonus, Stephen also won the junior driver of the rally award.

From the roads of West Flanders the Wright Rally cavalcade then travelled all the way back home to take part in the Discover Northern Ireland Circuit of Ireland Rally. The event was a counting round of the Junior European Championship and after a troublesome opening day, Stephen and Susanne eventually climbed to 4th place, narrowly missing out on a podium among a truly international field of drivers from Norway, Britain, Italy, Czech Republic, Poland and Belgium.

Finally, it was back to Belgium to compete in the Rallye de Wallonie where Stephen faced a massive challenge with 25 cars entered in his class. Due to work commitments Susanne sat out the rally but a replacement was found in the form of experienced navigator Karl Atkinson and he guided Stephen to 8th in class and 5th among the Peugeot Trophy winners. With every mile on the Belgian roads Stephen is continually learning and is looking forward to the remainder of the season.

"That was a pretty hectic month and each rally produced very different challenges. We have learned so much along the way and also produced some good results against very tough competition. The entire team have done such a fantastic job to keep the car in shape for each event and also Susanne and Karl for keeping me between the hedges and ditches. To be sitting in 3rd place in the 208 Trophy is also a massive bonus. Next up for is Ypres which is a round of both the Junior European Rally Trophy and also the 208 Rally Trophy and it can't come soon enough!!"

You can follow Stephen on Twitter @StephenWr1ght and more information on the Wright Rally Team by is available by visiting www.wrightrally.com.

Encouraging start to Belgian campaign

Posted: February 25, 2014 9:18 AM

Despite treacherous conditions, Stephen and Susanne Wright made it to the finish of the Haspengouw Rally last weekend and the pair brought their Peugeot 208 R2 home in 29th overall and 4th in class.

Based around the town of Landen, The Haspengouw Rally was the first of the 8 round Belgian Rally Championship which Stephen and Susanne plan to contest this season so it was crucial that they got off to an encouraging start. Stephen, the reigning Motorsport Ireland Young Rally Driver of the Year, takes up the story;

“We surprised even ourselves on the opening stage, setting fastest time on possibly the most slippy road surface I have ever seen. Unfortunately this was the highlight. We picked up a puncture on SS2 and had a number of spins on SS3 dropping us back the order and breaking our momentum. We picked ourselves back up in first service; setting a string of top three stage times through to the finish of the event, interrupted only by a front left and right puncture on SS6 and another puncture on SS12. We were disappointed to miss out on a good result but on the plus side our pace was promising, we have learned a lot and are feeling much better prepared prior to the opening round of the 208 Rally Trophy in 6 weeks’ time.”

The next Belgian round the Wright Rally Team plan to contest is the TAC Rally on April 12th but they may possibly squeeze in another Irish event to gain more competitive miles in the Killyhevlin Hotel Peugeot.
“We are still adjusting to and learning the new car. It really is such a huge transition from the Mitsubishi’s we have been used to but we love every second of it and are so impressed with the car. Ideally we’d like to take in one more Irish event to leave us better prepared for the Circuit of Ireland in April which is also a counting round of the Junior European Rally Championship but we will take some time to let the dust settle before making a decision” said Susanne.

Belgium Bound!

Posted: February 18, 2014 2:45 PM

This weekend marks the beginning of Stephen and Susanne Wright’s European adventure as the pair get ready to tackle the Haspengouw Rally, the opening round of the BFO Belgian Rally Championship.

Stephen, who is the current Motorsport Ireland Young Rally Driver of the Year, is keen to build on his recent successes in Ireland and feels the Belgian championship can provide the challenge he is looking for in 2014. Speaking this week Stephen said: “European tarmac is extremely specialised and the roads in Belgium even more-so, not to mention the high standard of competition out there. We are venturing outside our comfort zone but looking forward to a new challenge and developing our skills as the year progresses.”

Accompanying Stephen will be his sister Susanne who will call the all-important pacenotes and they will play a key role on the tricky Belgian roads over the weekend. Susanne takes up the story.
"Although most of my job will be largely the same as at home there will be a bit of a language barrier to deal with and some differences in the operations of time controls. A lot of people have helped and offered advice in the run up to the event so hopefully all the planning will pay off!"

The Haspengouw Rally is based in the town of Landen in central Belgium and the Wright Rally Team will land there late on Thursday evening ahead of scrutineering on Friday before the rally starts in earnest on Saturday. The event will consist of 13 tricky stages and should provide a stern test for Stephen and Susanne who are keen to get their championship campaign off to a steady start in the Killyhevlin Hotel and Irish Sports Council backed Peugeot 208 R2.

Haspengouw Rally (Belgium)