Novikov targets championship points in Australia

M-Sport Stobart Ford Rally Team driver Evgeny Novikov is banking on a level playing field on this week’s Rally Australia.

The Russian, who celebrates his 21st birthday later this month, has never competed in Australia before and says he is excited about the Coffs Harbour roads coming his way later this week.

Chasing his first points finish of the year, Novikov said: “This time it will be a fairer rally for everyone as nobody will know the roads. I just want to get out there, enjoy myself, get more experience and hope that a good result will follow.”

The Fiesta RS WRC driver, who joins Briton Matthew Wilson in the M-Sport Stobart squad, added that he wouldn’t be altering his policy of gaining experience on this 10th round of the world championship.

“This year my task has been just to finish and not anything more than that,” he said. “Australia will be a difficult rally as we’ve never been there before but we have to start first and then we’ll see how it goes. The World Rally Championship has no easy stages and I am sure that Australia will be no different, but I think that we must concentrate on a good recce and only push when we feel confident that everything is going well. This year my task has been just to finish and not anything more than that.”

Rally Australia will be Novikov’s fifth start in this year’s World Rally Championship. His best WRC result was fifth place on Rally Italia Sardegna in 2009 - a season where he posted four fastest times in a private Citroen.

Novikov’s team-mate Wilson has enjoyed great consistency this season, having only failed to score points on one round of the 2011 series. Wilson was sixth last time out in Australia.