Albourne’s Gemma Wheeler returns to the rally stages next Saturday (25th April) when she contests the Minehead-based Somerset Stages rally in a Peugeot 106 prepared by rallyschool.co.uk.
Gemma, 21, had a successful start to her rally season when she finished 4th in the Rally First class in treacherous snowy conditions on the Wyedean Forest rally in February and she is targeting another good result in Somerset.
"I expect the conditions to be rather different to those we experienced on the Wyedean rally although I enjoyed sliding the car around on the snow and ice," said Gemma.
"It’s been over two months since that event and I haven’t competed since so I will have to get back into the groove quickly. I’m aiming for a decent result in Rally First, it’d be great to keep a good position in the championship."
Gemma, who is supported by Albany Homes Southern, has already competed on the event twice before, including finishing 11th in the 1400s in 2008 driving a Ford Focus.
"I think my previous experience of the event will be an advantage over some of my rivals, especially on the tarmac of the Porlock Hill stage which presents a different challenge to the usual gravel forest tracks," commented Gemma.
"Porlock was amazing last year, my favourite stage on the rally, my dad was also competing and I was only two seconds behind him!"
The rally starts from Minehead on Saturday morning and will feature around 40 competitive miles.
To keep up to date with Gemma’s rallying please visit her website www.gemmawheeler.com.
