Caminos del Inca 2007 (Incas Rally 2007)
For immediate release
Sunday, August 5th, 2007
BRITISH RALLYING DUO HOWARD PATERSON AND
SIMON NUTTER SET FOR PERUVIAN CHALLENGE
Paterson and Nutter set to tackle Caminos del Inca in a pair of Skodas;
Two former FIA Middle East Formula Two champions head to South America
LIMA (Per?): British international rallying enthusiasts Howard Paterson and Simon Nutter are set to tackle the gruelling 10-day Caminos del Inca across Peru in September. The event is being organised by the Autom?vil Club Peruano (ACP), starts in Lima on Friday, September 14th and finishes in the Peruvian capital on Sunday, September 23rd.
Humberside-based Paterson and Penrith’s Nutter intend to use a pair of identical Skoda Fabia 1.4-litre 16v cars that have been built by Prospeed. The pair had originally intended to tackle the Himalayan Challenge in the Czech cars, but this event was cancelled and the duo switched their attention to the punishing Caminos del Inca across Per?. The Peruvian event has already attracted the Finnish legend, four-times World Rally Champion and Dakar Rally winner Juha Kankkunen, who will take part in a Group N Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution.
~It was a shame that the Himalayan event was cancelled,~ admitted rallyschool owner Paterson. ~But it threw up the unique and exciting opportunity for us to head to Per? for the Caminos del Inca.~
Paterson will be co-driven by his wife Ruth, while Nutter will be partnered by Briton Sean Kukula. All four have considerable experience of international rallying and have tackled numerous events in Europe and the Middle East over the space of 20 years. Both Paterson and Nutter are former FIA Middle East Formula Two champions and have tackled numerous events in the Gulf and Levant regions, with Paterson also adding the Safari Rally in Kenya to his rallying curriculum vitae.
~We are the only two British crews competing in Per? and that makes it very exciting for us,~ added Paterson. I am the only one of the group who has been to Per? before. I took part in the London-Mexico Rally in 1995 in a Volvo Amazon 123 GT, when the event crossed through Brazil, Paraguay, Bolivia and then Peru on the way to a finish in Acapulco, Mexico.~
Paterson and co-driver Ian North finished 13th overall in the London-Mexico Rally, an event which was won for the second time by Finnish WRC legend Hannu Mikkola to celebrate 25 years since the launch of Ford’s Escort Mexico, which won the inaugural event in 1970. Mikkola also took part in the Caminos del Inca Rally in 1970.
The 1995 event passed Lake Titicaca and pressed on through Puno, Arequipa, Lima, Piura and Cuenca on its way north and Paterson is looking forward to crossing similar terrain 12 years later.
Penrith night club owner Nutter was a former competitor in the British Peugeot GTi Rally Challenge and also tackled events in a powerful Group B car in the 1980s, before embarking on several FIA Middle East Rally Championship campaigns, including special stage events in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Qatar, Oman, Lebanon and Bahrain. ~I heard from a British journalist that the Peruvian event was on and we took it from there,~ said Nutter. ~I am looking forward to the rally immensely.~
~It’s great to have the two British crews on board,~ insisted Henry Bradley, promotions’ director and multiple former winner of the Caminos del Inca. ~They are both experienced drivers and should cope well with the altitude and the wide variety of terrain.~
The event is being held with the full support of the FIA and the Federati?n Peruana de Automovilismo Deporttivo (FEPAD). In a total route of 2,722.90km, the organisers anticipate that 2,289.50km will be competitive, with a mere 433.40km taking place on non-competitive liaison sections.
Entries are still open for this year’s event from the Automovil Club Peruano, Av. Canaval y Moreyra 671, San Isidro, Lima 27, Per?, Tel: + 511 224 3222 or + 511 225 5283, Fax: + 511 224 1405, E-mail: acpperu.com.pe, www.incasrally.com
For further information contact Henry Bradley, promotions director, Tel: + 1 770 844 1740, mobile: + 1 404 502 0990, E-mail: bracoracing@aol.com or hbradley@incasrally.com, www.incasrally.com
For further media information:
Susan Bradley (E-mail: sbradley@rallyworldmagazine.com) or Angela Perkins and Neil Perkins, NDP Publicity Services, NCH Building, Upper Bar, Newport, Shropshire TF10 7EH, United Kingdom, Mobile: + 44 7831 123153, E-mail: NDPPublicity@compuserve.com, www.ndp-publicity.com (press releases).
www.incasrally.com