March 1, 2023
Carbon Positive Motorsport customer feature: Q&A with Stuart & Marc Irvine.
We talked to Stuart & Marc Irvine ahead of the Snowman Rally, where after pleasing the crowds in their various Hyundai Accent WRC cars, they will be competing in their new Hyundai i20 R5.
CPM: Hi Stuart & Marc – thank you for taking the time to talk to us ahead of the 2023 season – we are all excited to see you out in the new car – what made you decide to go the R5 route?
SI: I think the main factor for going down the R5 route was reliability, every rally we did in 2022 we had some kind of problem, and it took the fun away from the sport for us. Going for the R5 it's another step forward in technology and with the car only built in 2019 we hope to avoid the problems from last year.
CPM: How did you get started in motorsport? and what was your attraction especially for rallying in Hyundai’s?
SI: I started in motorsport doing autotests and sprints and then I started rallying in 1990 on the Trossachs rally in an Opel Kadett. I love driving but I also love working on them, maybe a bit weird but I work on road cars every day but I still enjoy closing the doors at night and starting to work on rally cars, either our own or customers cars.
As for the Hyundai route, I always thought the Accent WRC car was a stunning looking car and when the chance to own one came along, I jumped in the car with Marc after work one night and drove down to Stockport to see the car.
The Hyundai Accent WRC is an amazing car to drive but like all cars of that era, they are very complicated and unfortunately almost 22 years old, making reliability an issue. That being said, I still plan to do an event in 2023 in X15HMC.
CPM: What were your highlights from last season and your plans for 2023?
MI: There weren't many given our mechanical troubles all year but a few stand outs were going out to Spain in February to compete in Rally Lloret de Mar just north of Barcelona. That was an experience that will take a while to forget about, the atmosphere was electric from start to finish. Another stand out from last year had to be the McRae Rally Challenge in July, to have both cars there and having Alister McRae reunited with cars that he drove in World Championship events was phenomenal, a kind of pinch yourself moment seeing him throw the car around the way they should be driven.
SI: Our plans for 2023 are to do the first couple of rounds in the Scottish Championship and then just see how things go from there really. We are going over to Northern Ireland in September to do the Bushwhacker rally thanks to Marty at C&M Motorsport Sales.
CPM: You have been a huge support to us since our launch – in fact one of our very first customers - what makes you so enthusiastic about including carbon offsetting in your rallying exploits?
MI: We love rallying and with the way the world is going in trying to reduce our carbon footprint, rallying gets a black mark against it so if there's something that can be done to help offset our carbon footprint to allow us to keep competing then we are all for it.
It only costs a little to make a big difference for the sport, so whether you're a competitor or spectator, why not join with us to help make motorsport sustainable.
To become Carbon Positive yourself, visit our website www.carbonpositivemotorsport.com
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