Shakedown turns into victory for returning Barrett

PAUL Barrett made an impressive return to action over the weekend when he won the two-wheel-drive and historic sections of the Malcolm Wilson Rally.

The Clanabogan man hadn’t sat behind the wheel in anger since the 2023 Roger Albert Clark Rally when bad luck again struck his bid for victory over the mammoth five day event, but behind in what is essentially a brand new MK II Ford Escort he sealed an eye catching victory in Cumbria.

After spending the winter rebuilding his car, he and stand-in co-driver Dan Petrie went into the event treating it as a shakedown for their main aim in 2025, which is victory in November’s RAC, but that soon turned into a charge for victory and a bright start to a year Barrett hopes ends brighter than 2023 when he and Gordon Noble failed to finish due to an engine problem, having been fourth overall after two days of action and in 2021 when they crashed out when leading on the final day.

“I had done about three miles in the car [since 2013], that’s all I had done,” Barrett admitted. “[But at the weekend] I gave her a good rattle! I didn’t really know what to expect and I’m just happy that it did go well because we did a lot of work over Christmas and the winter. We basically rebuilt it but it turned out good, so I was happy. “Everything is gearing up for the RAC, that’s what it’s all about this year. We just need a bit of lady luck with us for that because it just hasn’t gone our way, that’s about the height of it.”

Having been left frustrated with the reliability issues that blighted their RAC bid in 2023, Barrett went ‘back to basics’ over the winter, rebuilding the car at home, rather than using a contractor and he feels that approach is paying off.

“That was a brand new car for the RAC, a Wales Motorsport car but it wasn’t good,” he observed. “The only thing [left] is the shell and the wiring loom.

“That was a brand new car but we’ve rebuilt it. But it’s the lads around me, who put in the work over the winter, who wanted to see me out again. We went back to basics, back to running her out of our own shed at home and the lads helped me and that’s what we’re doing. Only for them I wouldn’t be back because [2023] was tough.”