Edwards to tackle Midlands Rally in Lyons’ Rally2 Fiesta
Triple British Rally Champion, Matt Edwards, will take part in the opening round of the 2023 National Rally Championship – the Midland Moto Stages Rally.
Keith Lyons has lined up Edwards to drive his new Ford Fiesta Rally2 in a bid to find a base set-up for Irish roads.
Lyons gave M-Sport’s latest generation Rally2 car its Irish debut on February’s Galway International Rally. The Limerick driver struggled to find the confidence required to lean on his new car through Ireland’s bumpy stages.
He hopes Edwards can fast-track developing a set-up that Lyons can then use on the West Cork Rally.
Edwards has been a familiar face on rallies across Ireland of late, working with Pirelli and coaching several drivers. The Welshman starred on last year’s Donegal International Rally, briefly leading the event before a high-speed accident on Atlantic Drive.
The Midland Moto Stages will be Edwards’ first competitive outing in Ireland since Donegal although he did compete on three British Historic rounds last Autumn.
“I am looking forward to it,” Edwards told Rally Insight. “The rally is based in territory that is relatively unfamiliar to a lot of people which will be a good thing for me.
“It has been a long time since Donegal and it was a long time before that since I had been in an R5 competitively.
“This is a good chance to get back out there and dial in a Fiesta to those roads.”
The pair of drivers will test the Lyons of Limerick Fiesta Rally2 and Lyons hopes giving Edwards a follow-up drive in Midlands will provide an extra incentive to advance the car’s set-up.
“Drivability is a broad term,” explained Edwards. “It can mean different things to different people which makes setting a car up for somebody else a challenge.
“You have to go into things like this with an open mind.
“I’ll be looking at where the car is good, not so good, and where the driver can gain more confidence.
“It is a case of marking the first feelings and sensations you get in the car – whether good or bad – and target those first. If you go in with a specific plan or agenda, you can miss some fundamentals.”
The plan was proposed by Lyons after a frustrating weekend on the Galway International Rally. Lyons and co-driver JJ Cremin finished outside the top twenty after battling with the car’s front-to-rear balance as well as its handling over Galway’s bumps and jumps.
Lyons wants to get the car to a point where it just needs fine-tuning for each event and weather condition. His goal is to have it ready for West Cork so he can prepare for another long weekend knowing that he has a more competitive package.
“The car has the power,” admitted Lyons, “but I don’t have the confidence to push it through high-speed sections.”
“The Rally2 Fiesta is completely different to the first-generation R5. I had the confidence to push in the R5 but it isn’t a direct comparison now.
“West Cork isn’t far away and I don’t have the experience to find a base set-up that quickly. It would take me a few rallies to figure it out and I feel like that would be wasted time.
“Matt has experience with several R5 and Rally2 cars – he is well in tune with how they should work.
“I remember there was a point when I clicked with my old car and I think Matt can get me to that point with the new car.”
The Midland Moto Stages Rally kicks off the 2023 National Rally Championship on Sunday 5 March.
Photos by Roger Dawson
