Email earns Abbring his big chance

Kevin Abbring says an email to Volkswagen Motorsport chiefs helped to secure his drive in one of the German make’s Skoda Fabia Super 2000s on Wales Rally GB next week.

The highly-rated Dutchman - a product of the Junior World Rally Championship - wrote to the company asking for a short meeting to outline his achievements to date behind the wheel and ambitions for the future.

He was invited to ADAC Rallye Deutschland in August where he met VW team manager Peter Utoft, team advisor Carlos Sainz and the firm’s motorsport chief Kris Nissen. Following the meeting he took part in a test on gravel and asphalt, which culminated in his drive on the WRC finale from 10-13 November.

“The test was not about speed but about working together with the team, the engineers and seeing how quickly I could adapt to the car and the team,” Abbring told Wrc.com. “I was very happy to have this opportunity and then they asked me to do Wales Rally GB with them, which is just amazing.”

Abbring, who said the training programme provided through the FIA Institute’s Young Driver Excellence Academy had played a huge role in Volkswagen taking notice of him, isn’t planning any heroics when he makes his competition debut in a Super 2000 car in Wales.

“First of all the most important thing is we collect as much information as possible about the car and the road conditions for the team,” said Abbring, 22. “For sure it will be a great opportunity to show my speed but it’s not my main goal.”

Belgian Lara Vanneste will co-drive Abbring on Rally GB. Young German Sepp Wiegand, who took part on two rounds of the WRC Academy earlier this season will drive a second VW-run Skoda alongside countryman Timo Gottschalk.