HUNT CLINCHES FSTi TITLE HAT-TRICK ON HOME SOIL

WALES Rally GB saw British pairing of Harry Hunt and Sebastian Marshall clinch the 2010 championship title on home turf after another action-packed year in the Fiesta SportTrophy championship.

With Hunt’s closest rival Bader Al Jabri unable to attend the final event of the season due to exam commitments, Hunt looked poised to take championship glory this weekend.  Majed Al Shamsi still had a mathematical chance of winning but after Hunt racked up five consecutive stage wins on Friday, the 22-year-old had done enough to secure the title.

“I’m over the moon to have won the FSTi championship this weekend,” said a delighted Hunt.

“It’s definitely not been an easy task but it’s been a phenomenal year for us. I’ve already been awarded the J-WRC Rookie Award and we won the 2010 IRC 2WD Champion in Cyprus last weekend.  To win the FSTi championship and also for Sebastian Marshall to win the co-drivers’ championship has just been the icing on the cake.”
 
Hunt has notched up a total of 34 stage wins in six FSTi appearances this season.  With the FSTi scoring system allowing all drivers to drop their lowest two scores from the series, it was the young Briton who edged the win by 39 points. The FSTi was one of three titles that the young British driver has won so far this season along with FIA Junior WRC Rookie Champion and 2010 Intercontinental Rally Challenge (IRC) 2-Wheel-Drive Champion.
 
Pierre-Alexandre Perrin made his debut at a WRC event competing in FSTi for the first time this weekend.  Wales also marked the first time that Perrin had driven the Fiesta R2 and his gravel debut, but the driver displayed an impressive display of pace as he notched up four stage wins over the weekend and finished runner-up.  Majed Al Shamsi completed the FSTi podium line-up in third after losing time after brake issues on the opening day.