Stobart star’s shakedown with Aussie motorsport hero
Daryl Beattie is most famous in his native Australia for his achievements during a high-profile motorcycle racing career, but the Channel Ten commentator swapped his motorbike for a World Rally Championship car today as he took a run in the Ford Focus RS WRC with Stobart VK M-Sport Ford driver Matthew Wilson.

The British WRC star and Aussie motorsport hero Beattie, now a well-loved television personality in his home country, teamed up during shakedown for this week’s Repco Rally Australia with the young Brit taking his guest for a high-speed ride over the 3.29km course in Pottsville.

In an eight-year career Beattie contested 59 500cc World Championship races, taking three wins and 13 podium finishes. Meanwhile Wilson will be starting his 58th WRC event tonight giving the pair plenty of experiences and anecdotes to share.

Beattie, who finished a close second to another Australian motorsport legend Mick Doohan in the 500cc World Championship in 1995, is a fan of all forms of motorsport and no stranger to rallying, having contested events in Australia after retiring from motorcycle racing 12 years ago. But he was keen to take the opportunity to experience a WRC car in full flight with one of the championship’s young chargers behind the wheel.

Wilson, currently lying seventh in the WRC drivers’ standings, now turns his attention to the start of Rally Australia which kicks off with two Super Special Stages in the town of Murwillumbah tonight.

Channel Ten motorsport presenter Daryl Beattie said:
“That was amazing. Matthew is a great guy and is massively talented behind the wheel; the feeling in there was fantastic. The level of commitment these drivers have is so impressive, I only had a short run but to be able to maintain that concentration and commitment through a 30km stage is just incredible. We were reaching nearly 200kph then Matthew flicked it sideways through a gate post that was barely wide enough for the car to go through. For a guy like me to come from a track environment and have trees and fences flying past so close to the car is a really special feeling. It’s probably the best thing I’ve ever done; I will remember it for the rest of my life.”

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