Although his plans are still largely up in the air, Windus is keen to get behind the wheel of the Fiesta if pre-season negotiations prove fruitful.
Speaking to RallySport Magazine today, Windus is still smarting over the withdrawal of the Pirtek-funded Britek Fiestas, which were driven last year by himself and Michael Guest.
“It all happened pretty suddenly (the Pirtek withdrawal) – only two weeks before the announcement they were keen to go, but then Guest and I were without a drive a fortnight later,” he said.
“However, I’m keen to do the ARC this year if everything works out”, he added.
“My contract with Britek was terminated 12 months early so I’m hopeful that a suitable deal for the purchase of one of the Fiestas can be arranged. The matter of homologation of the car is still being sorted out by CAMS Rally Manager, Campbell Andrea, so if all goes to plan I hope to enter the opening ARC round in it. If not, then I’ll use my old WRX which was sold to Michael Thompson and driven by Will Orders last year.
“Whatever the outcome, I’ve entered the Cerberus Stages in Victoria in the WRX on March 1, and I may use that car for the rest of the ARC if the Fiesta thing falls over.”
While Windus was upbeat about the CAMS ARC this year, he expressed concern over the fact that the only remaining manufacturer contesting the ARC, Toyota, had still not disclosed their program for 2008.
“If Toyota decide not to compete this year then there’s little point in me doing all the rounds and spending a lot of money, much of which comes from my own pocket.”
Asked about the competitiveness of the S2000 Fiesta, Windus claimed the car is an outright winner.
“The team spent a lot of money in developing the car and it got to the point where it was a potential winner. Our results at the Rally of Melbourne last year proved that.
“Look, I’m still remaining positive about the season and there appears to be no shortage of cars, including S2000s, possibly making their way to Australia. Jamie Drummond is overseas at the moment looking at a Fiat Punto, so our options are open.
“In the meantime, I’ll get some time behind the wheel in the Impreza and just wait and see what happens,” he added.
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