Wilson eyes New Zealand return

Matthew Wilson’s absence from the FIA World Rally Championship powered by Nokia is set to continue until Brother Rally New Zealand from 22-24 June.

The Briton is recovering from the broken ankle and damaged ligaments he suffered during a training fall prior to Rally Sweden in February.

He had hoped to get back behind the wheel of his Ford Fiesta RS WRC on the Acropolis Rally in Greece but appears to have missed out on an entry for the gravel-based round, despite indicating he would be fit enough to compete when quizzed by WRC Live on Philips Rally Argentina, where he was an interested observer.

“New Zealand is one of my favourite rallies and we’ve done well there in the past,” said Wilson, who finished sixth the last time New Zealand hosted a round of the world championship in 2010. “It’s a rally you don’t want to miss as a driver because the stages are so good.”

Wilson said he hoped long-term team-mate Henning Solberg would also be competing again in the WRC having missed out since Sweden due to a lack of funding. The Norwegian veteran is scheduled to contest the Acropolis Rally in Greece from 25-27 May.

“We both want to be back and we’ve been speaking a lot while I’ve been out and he’s not been driving,” said Wilson. “The whole team and the service park miss Henning, there are not many characters like him.”