Frank Bird To Make World Rally Championship Debut
Cumbrian driver Frank Bird is heading for Italy where he will make his World Rally Championship debut in this forthcoming weekend’s FORUM8 ACI Rally Monza which hosts the spectacular finale to the 2021 FIA World Rally Championship.
The asphalt event will take place from Thursday to Sunday and will be based at the famous Autodromo Nazionale de Monza race circuit near Milan, in the north of the country, where it will form the 12th and final round of the year.
22-year-old Bird from Penrith, along with Maryport-based co-driver Jack Morton will contest the WRC3 class on the event in the Dom Buckley Motorsport-prepared and Frank Bird Poultry-backed Ford Fiesta Rally2 with assistance from Hager, Fuchs Titan Oils, Aico and Yuasa, in which they have won their last two rallies in the UK.
Frank is no stranger to Monza having raced there earlier this season in the Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup when he powered the Team WRT Audi R8 LMS to a fine fourth position in the Silver Cup class.
Having begun in 1978, the rally will include stages at the ‘Temple of Speed’ circuit featuring famous Monza corners such as Michele Alboreto, Lesmo and Curva Grande. There will also be a number of demanding closed public road stages in the Bergamo Alpine mountains to the north of the circuit with the event totalling 16 Special Stages and featuring 82 crews.
Frank Bird: “I’m excited to be making my debut in the World Rally Championship and where better than a rally based at the wonderful and historic Monza circuit. It’s going to be a massive challenge all round with the format of the event and things like a recce and making pacenotes, but it’s all part of the fun. We’ve had a couple of good results in the UK recently so I’m grateful to my team, my dad, and our sponsors for giving me this opportunity to compete against the world’s best rally drivers.”
Pictures courtesy of Russ Otway Photography and James Ward, www.chicanemedia.co.uk.
