Pavey turns from two wheels to four - 24 September 2007

As many of you know that have already been to Off Road Skills, our fantastic Off Road Site known as Walters Arena is also the home of one of the longest stages in the World Rally Championship, and as such is a favoured site for some teams to go testing.

Recently, British Gravel Champion Steve Perez brought his team to Walters Arena and invited me out for a quick lap in his 2003 WRC Ford Focus during his lunch break. As this is only his practice car and was being used to test some new parts I am assured he was just cruising… the view from the navigators seat is very difficult as the seat is really low in the car so you have to stretch your neck to see through the windscreen. How the navigators can keep their heads down, reading notes out loud while getting chucked all over the place without being ill is amazing.

None-the-less I learned a few new lines around what are very familiar sections of dirt road to me. Without a doubt the acceleration and braking abilities of his Focus are astounding, but it sure is wider than a bike and needs more room to hussle through the forest.

It was a great experience, but even so, I still prefer two wheels over four.

Simon

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