Motorsport: Rising star claims rally shootout

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The 2010 Rally New Zealand Rising Stars Scholarship winner, Stephen Barker, proved just how good he is by winning this year's Fiesta SportTrophy International Shootout held at M-Sport in the north of the United Kingdom recently.

The 22 year old from Kerikeri wins a years' work experience with M-Sport to work with the BP Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team.

Barker also has the chance to work in a number of different areas of the company, travelling to the European WRC events, attending press functions and driving at PR events.

"I was confident I would be able to get to the final interview stage [with M-Sport managing director Malcolm Wilson, OBE, and BP Ford Abu Dhabi driver Mikko Hirvonen] but there was one thing I thought might let down," said Barker.

"I was a little worried about my fitness and it was the first part of the test. I came second in that and once it was over I thought I had a pretty good shot at winning it."

Barker used the scholarship's fully prepared Ford Fiesta rally car and professional mentoring to win the two-wheel-drive championship category of this year's Vantage New Zealand Rally Championship.

This success also earned Barker this year's New Zealand Fiesta SportTrophy and with that came the opportunity to contest the international Fiesta shootout at M-Sport's Cumbria headquarters.

Barker was regarded as one of the favourites to win the shootout title, but first he had to take on 17 other talented competitors, each having qualified for the shootout based on their performances in Fiesta SportTrophy championships around the globe. The 18 young men undertook a series of physical and psychological tests as well as a final driving challenge on a 3km stage at M-Sport's Greystoke Forest.

"Winning this title really has left me lost for words; I'm over the moon. I have had a fantastic season in New Zealand and to win the championship in the same year was incredible, but this is something else altogether!

"I honestly couldn't wish for anything more and I can't wait to start," said Barker.

Barker led the shootout after the first day's tests with UK Fiesta champion Elfyn Evans and Swedish Fiesta champion Carl Ward tied in second place.

But then Ward posted the fastest time on day two's test at Greystoke with Finn Jussi Kumpumaki the second quickest.

With all of their scores tallied, Wilson and Hirvonen interviewed the final six candidates.

"The interview with Malcolm, Matthew and Mikko wasn't as intense as I expected and it was really good to be able to have a chat with those guys. But then the wait between the interview and the announcement was the most agonising part of the process.

"It was a very nervous half-hour wait until the winner was announced. I was over the moon and temporarily lost for words when they called out my name as the winner."

The first part of Barker's prize was to have a play in the Ford Fiesta S2000 car with WRC driver Mathew Wilson.

"I did about 20 minutes in the car with Mathew running through the basic techniques of driving an S2000 car. They then let me and Richard [Ellis co-driver] jump in and go for a spin ourselves. It was all a very different and fantastic experience for me.

"It was incredible how easy it was to drive for such a sophisticated car. They handle brilliantly and the noise, sequential gearbox and everything else was just an adrenaline-pumping ride," said Barker.