Interview: Marty McCormack and his MINI WRC drive…

Marty McCormack has revealed that his outing at next week’s Turkey Run Rally may not be a one-off appearance behind the wheel of a Mini WRC…

In an interview with RallyForums.com, the Draperstown driver admitted that “nothing is set in stone” and that “options are open” for the potential of additional events in the Mini, either in the local scene or at World Championship level.

In the meantime, McCormack will use the Turkey Run as a high speed test session. It will be his first time driving the left-hand-drive car, although as he revealed in the interview, he spent a short period of time behind the wheel of Derek McGeehan’s right-hand-drive car.

The full RallyForums.com interview can be found below…

How did the drive in the Mini WRC come about?

“I’ve spoken to Derek (McGeehan) quite a lot lately about the Mini and his plans for the car. I went testing with him a couple of times and we always said if the time was right and an opportunity arose, I would use the car in a rally.”

“Someone else had hoped to drive it but those plans fell through so Derek gave me a call to see if we could put something together for Shackleton. The event will be more of a fast test for me so it is a good place to go to.”

Is this a one-off event in the Mini or do you hope to drive it again – either locally or in World Championship events?

“Nothing is set in stone but hopefully we can try and put something together. Options are open for both. We need to get it nailed down and sorted out. Coming from Derek, the Mini is an excellently prepared car – I just need to get used to it.”

Have you done any testing?

“No, nothing at all. I’ve driven Derek’s right-hand-drive Mini before but I’ve never driven the left-hand-drive car, which is what I’ll be using at Shackleton. I’m not going to drive it before the event, just on the day.”

When did you drive the RHD Mini?

“It must be about three or four weeks ago now, on a very damp, old forest road. I only covered three or four miles and I was being very careful but there’ll be a bit more room in Shackleton.”

Do you think you will win the event?

“I wouldn’t think so! My track experience is very limited. I wouldn’t be the best driver on a track…I’m better on closed roads. The key thing is to gain knowledge of the car. I want to get settled in and tune it to my liking.”