KIWI CREWS PREPARE FOR MALAYSIAN INVASION

=== KIWI CREWS PREPARE FOR MALAYSIAN INVASION ===

Shah Alam, Malaysia – Tuesday September 16th., 2003 . New Zealand’s Brian Green and Fleur Pedersen, who are still savoring their win in the recent Malaysian Rally 2003 (MR3) have confirmed they will be returning for the sixth and final round of the Perodua Malaysian Rally Championship.

Brian and Fleur will be joined by another New Zealand pair, Malcolm Stewart and Mike Fletcher, and the two crews will drive SR Motorsport- prepared Subaru Impreza STi Group N cars.

Malcolm Stewart, like Brian Green, is an ex-New Zealand Rally Champion, and has been rallying for more than thirty years. Aside from winning many national championship events, his rally exploits have taken him as far afield as the RAC Rally in Great Britain, plus rounds of the German Rally Championship. Over the years he has driven classic rally cars such as the Ford Escort BDA, Fiat 125, an ex-works Audi Quattro, Peugeot 106, and most Evolutions of the Mitsubishi Lancer.

Mike Fletcher too has an impressive history, having competed in Rally New Zealand some 23 times, the Safari Rally in Kenya where he co-drove for the late Possum Bourne, Rally Australia with New Caledonia’s Jean-Louis Leyraud, and Rally Australia with Ray Wilson. Malaysia’s plantation stages will though be a new experience for the duo.

SR Motorsport’s Team Manager Paul Russell commented “Obviously we are delighted that Brian and Fleur are returning to rally with us. They thoroughly enjoyed the experience of competing in MR3, and winning the event was an unexpected bonus. Having two champions in our cars
is a fascinating prospect” he continued “and it will be interesting to see which one of them will fare better. Perhaps Brian and Fleur will put their prior Malaysian experience to good use, but certainly there will be no team orders, as both crews are here for the maximum amount of enjoyment.”

Brian and Fleur though have seen plenty of rally action since MR3. They returned home to compete in a national championship event the weekend after MR3 – swapping Malaysia’s tropical climate for the cold and snow of a New Zealand winter – and just last weekend were competing in the Rally Hokkaido in Japan, a round of the Asia Pacific
Rally Championship. There, they endured cool wet weather, rocky roads, and several punctures.

The sixth round of the Championship will be held in the easily-accessed stages around Sepang and PutraJaya, so it is hoped there will be a good crowd on hand to watch not only the exciting Subaru Imprezas, but the rally cars of the many other local and overseas crews who are expected to compete.

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