2019 British Rally champion Matt Edwards has confirmed he is to compete on next week’s Wales Rally GB.
Edwards, who claimed his second successive BRC title on the Galloway Hills event in Scotland earlier this month, will drive a Hyundai i20 R5 alongside title rival throughout 2019, Tom Cave, as he makes the switch from the M-Sport ran Ford Fiesta R5 he’s used in recent seasons.
Speaking on the news, Edwards said: “Following our successful title defence of the British Rally Championship, we can at last look forward to some further excitement to finish the year off… with the great support of Hyundai Motorsport and PCRS, I will tackle Wales Rally GB in a Hyundai I20 R5.”
The Welshman, who will now compete on his third successive home event of the FIA World Rally Championship, will also have a new co-driver on board as Mark Glennerster will sit alongside him.
Edwards also went on to explain the change to a new car for the event and added: “It’s has taken some work at short notice to make this happen, and a huge thank you to those who have come together to support this. However, I am keen to clarify that this change in team for the event is not a sign of any breakdown in our relationship with M-Sport, who have been amazing in our BRC campaigns over the last three years.”
“It is merely a sign of the times in motorsport that one has to go where the finances can be arranged to bring a deal together, and I by no means expect anyone to gift me anything as a result of recent success. I’d also like to welcome on board Mark Glennerster to co-drive for me on the event and am very much looking forward to getting started on my home stages for a third successive year. It will also be great to team up with Tom Cave and the PCRS team who have been great adversaries in the BRC this year.”
Edwards and Cave battled closely throughout the 2019 British Rally Championship, with the title going down to the final round of the season where Edwards’ third place finish was enough to secure the win.
