The opening round of the 2010 Kick Energy Fiesta SportTrophy (FST) UK championship took place on Saturday 6 March with five crews tackling the 35^th running of the Malcolm Wilson rally.  The event took place over seven stages covering 41 stage miles around the Cumbrian forests of Greystoke, Grizedale and Whinlatter. 

The first competitive test of the day was the three-mile Hobcarton stage.  Despite being graced with blue skies and sunshine the stages remained snow covered in places as a result of the recent snowfall and low temperatures.  It was 18-year-old Matthew Cathcart from Enniskillen and co-driver Simon Hudspeth who took the first stage victory of 2010 in his Fiesta R2.  Cathcart, making his debut in the series, was a late entry to the series having only signed up on the Friday morning prior to scrutineering.  2008 FST UK champion Elfyn Evans, 21 from Machynlleth was next up, completing the stage seven seconds behind Cathcart in his Fiesta ST.   Tom Watson set the third fastest stage time through Hobcarton deciding that caution was best approach given the tricky conditions.

Evans and co-driver Andrew Edwards took their second consecutive stage win through the three-mile Wythop stage.  The FST event was quickly turning into a two horse race with Cathcart again second in the R2 only seven seconds behind Evans.  Tom Watson was a steady third; 15 seconds behind Cathcart and John Boyd regained his composure to set the fourth fastest time.

Matthew Cathcart put the experience he gained on the FST UK pre season at Greystoke to good use on the first run through the Greystoke stage.  Cathcart posted a time 21seconds faster than his nearest challenger to move into the lead of the FST as the crews made their way to first service.  The Irish youngster was starting to get a handle on the new R2 on his second competitive outing in the car.  Unfortunately the second R2 entered wasn't having quite such a good run and was suffering from an engine problem throughout the first four stages.  Peter Taylor and co-driver Andy Richardson opted to treat the remainder of the rally as an extended test to try and iron out their teething troubles.

As the crews arrived at Penrith for the first service Cathcart held a slender five-second lead over Evans, with Watson in third ahead of Boyd and Taylor.  All reported that the stages were extremely slippery and that at some points top speeds were around 15mph.  Despite the treacherous conditions all five FST crews made it back to service almost in one piece.  Boyd was the only FST runner to have suffered damage after his roll.  Boyd and co-driver Wallace reported that they had been distracted by the recurring engine problem and made a small error resulting in the roll. 

Next up were two stages through the legendary Grizedale forest.  Evans put in a blistering time of 9minutes 10seconds through stage five to once again take the lead from Cathcart.  Evans' time was the 14^th fastest on the stage, ahead of some much faster opposition. 

Evans obviously favoured the loose gravel of Grizedale, posting another fastest stage time on stage six, his fourth of the event and increasing his lead over Cathcart to 38seconds with one final run through Greystoke remaining. 

All crews were much happier with the conditions in Grizedale, reporting the loose gravel stages to have much more grip than the snow ice they had encountered in the morning.

Choosing to push for victory rather than settle for second, Cathcart set an extraordinary pace through stage 7, setting not only the fastest FST time but also the seventh fastest time overall on the stage.  The time was not enough to overhaul Evans however, as Evans put in a steady drive to claim his first victory in the Fiesta SportTrophy since winning both the UK and Irish championships in 2008.  Evans finished the event with an 18second gap to Cathcart with Tom Watson taking third. 

 Despite both suffering from un-diagnosed engine problems both Boyd and Taylor made it to the finish in Cockermouth to claim 4^th and 5^th places and with it a share of the prize money.  Both crews will be looking to put the event behind them focus on round 2 of the championship.

 The Fiesta SportTrophy competitors now head to North Wales for the Bulldog International Rally of North Wales where the championship joins the Dulux Trade British Rally Championship.

FST Winner Elfyn Evans said:

 "It was great to start the 2010 championship with a win.  We are looking forward to the Bulldog International Rally of North Wales in two weeks where we hope to continue our run of good form."

Final Standings from Round 1:

Championship Standings after Round 1:

For more information on the Fiesta SportTrophy UK Championship please contact series co-ordinator Callum Craw on This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or visit www.fiestasporttrophy.co.uk