Shaowu Rally: End of event update

David and Ieuan have finished second overall in the Shaowu Rally - but it is enough to secure the teams title for 2009 for the WY Rally Team.

David reported that they had endured quite a hard day, driving to keep second place to win the teams points race. They had a turbo problem for one stage which lost them power and cost them time.

The boys now face another race - to get home in time for Christmas. Having switched flights already after the rumoured BA strike action, the boys had to drive for 11 hours to get to the airport, only to find the alternative flight they were scheduled on had been cancelled.

They are now en route back to the UK via Germany.

Shaowu Rally: End of leg one

At the end of the first full day's rallying on the Shaowu Rally, David and Ieuan lie second overall, 41 seconds behind Jari Ketoma.

After being just one second off the leader in the first stage, the boys suffered a misfire on their Mitsubishi Lancer E9 in the second stage and lost 15 seconds.

KST driver Juha Salo then crashed in the third stage. He was one of the five drivers competing for the teams' title in China this weekend.

Jussi Valimaki is third, 45 seconds behind David and Ieuan, with Dean Herridge fourth.

Shaowu Rally: Super Special update

The Super Special is over in China, and David and Ieuan are lying in second place behind Jari Ketoma. Jussi Valimaki is in third place with Dean Herridge fourth.

David says the team are all set for tomorrow, and think it could be icy in places as the temperature in China (like the UK) has dropped.

More news after the stages tomorrow.

Shaowu Rally: Recce update

The news from China this morning is that the recce for the Shaowu Rally has gone well. The stages are reported to be very fast and may suit the Finnish drivers well.

David also reports that his ankle is on the mend, and he hopes it will be around 80% back to normal by Saturday's stages.

China testing update

David has reported that their pre-event test has gone well. It began raining halfway through the test which made it difficult to decide if they have got the tyre set-up right, but the car felt good.

The team have also completed a good test in the Evo X, and may test it again before the rally this weekend.

Sadly David's ankle is not doing so well, it is now fully black in colour - and the proposed British Airways strike may cause the boys a problem getting home!

David injured training in China

News has come in this morning that David has sustained minor injuries while training ahead of the Shaowu Rally in China.

While he was out running a lorry pulled out, and a motorbike which swerved to avoid the lorry managed to knock David to the ground.

David is in good spirits, having escaped with only a sprained left ankle and a very painful right shoulder - but this is not the way he wanted to start his rallying week.

The rally begins on Friday, but David is hoping to do some testing of both the Evo 9 he will use this weekend, and an Evo X ahead of the event.

Five-way fight for Higgins in China

David Higgins goes back to China this week to take part in a five-way title fight for team honours in the Chinese Rally Championship on the Shaowu Rally.

The WY Rally Team, which David drives for, currently lead the points table, but the rival KST team are only one point behind. The Honghe, FCACA and Subaru China teams are all also still in with a shot at the title.

“We could have wrapped up the title on the last event,” said Higgins. “But the protest which was put in against us stood, so we lost our points. So we’re heading back to China with a vengeance. I don’t feel we have a point to prove, because we have won out there more than anyone else, but we are determined to take the title for the team because it should have been ours last time out.”

This is the second time the gravel event has run, last year it was a round of the IRC but Higgins and Thomas were forced to miss it so they could attend Rally GB.

“Our stand in Jarkko Miettinen won it last year,” said Higgins. “But Juha Salo from KST will most likely be our biggest rival out there, he is as determined as us to pick up the team title and had led the event last year before he crashed out. But as usual, with it being the final round of the season, everyone will be pushing hard to ensure they impress all the teams to get a good seat for the 2010 season.

“Weather wise this one will be a shock to the system though. On some of the events this year we’ve had drivers retiring from heat stroke, but we’re told it will be around 15 degrees centigrade in Shaowu and last year they had ice on some of the early morning stages, so who knows what lies ahead.”

The Shaowu Rally takes place in South Eastern China from Friday 18th to Sunday 20th December 2009, so the boys will just make it back to Britain just in time for Christmas.

David gives Paul O'Neill a driving lesson

In this week's Motorsport News, their test driver Paul O'Neill visits the Forest Experience Rally School for a taste of night rallying with David.

The BTCC driver thoroughly enjoyed the experience of the new night driving course at the school and his 1-2-1 tuition with David, and left saying he is tempted to do a rally now!

For more information on 1-2-1 tuition with David and the rally school, click here.

Photo attached, courtesy of Motorsport News and Gary Jones.