Colin Appleyard Suzuki backed rally driver Luke Pinder and co driver Peter Scott went to last weekend’s Pirelli International Rally with the intention of proving that they had the pace to win the championship. They came away knowing that the 25 year old can dominate the series and take time from the other Swift Cup crews. By late Saturday morning, Pinder and Scott had a 30 second lead and were cruising, they were taking time on every stage and things looked good.
Then on the 6th stage it all went wrong. Pinder had been slightly ambitious with a pace note and entered a blind crest expecting to find a fast right hand bend at the other side, what he actually came across was a corner that tightened slightly. “We got slightly off line on to the loose gravel on the outside of the corner and it was game over” said Pinder. “I know exactly what happened. It’s a shame because we were going well and were cruising really; we found we could drive at about 85% and still be quick enough”.
The car rolled down a bank and came to rest with surprisingly little damage and will be repaired in time for the next round. “I’m not phased by the accident, the only mistake I made was in making that particular note a little bit ambitious. All the other notes worked perfectly and I am pleased that I can commit to them. The partnership with Peter works very well and we are very confident that we can still win the championship.
Luke Pinder / Peter Scott are supported by Colin Appleyard Suzuki, City Transport and Storage Ltd, Corbeau / Luke and Bretts Fish Restaurant.
