Nabila Tejpar secures a solid finish

Maldon rally driver Nabila Tejpar secured a solid finish on her World Rally Championship debut at last weekend’s Dayinsure Wales Rally GB (26-29th October).

Overcoming not one but two transmission failures during the arduous rally, Tejpar and co-driver Richard Bliss were able to cross the finish ramp in Llandudno on Sunday evening, finishing the event in 65th overall and 11th in class RC4.

Despite being in just her second year in the sport, Tejpar has already been crowned Prestone MSA Ladies British Rally Champion and would take on the biggest challenge of her career by contesting the penultimate round of the FIA World Rally Championship. Piloting her Dunkin Donuts and Pump Technology backed Ford Fiesta R2, she would need to draw on all of her previous experience if she was to survive the 300km, four-day endurance event.

Competing alongside some of the best drivers in the World, Tejpar was eager to tackle the event in a bid to gain more experience ahead of her 2018 programme after narrowly missing out on a BRC Cadet Cup podium this season. Run by the MH Motorsport outfit, the aim of the event was to reach the finish, a feat in itself on one of the hardest events in the World Rally Championship calendar.
“That was most definitely the toughest challenge I’ve ever had to face and it truly lived up to its reputation as one of the hardest events in the rallying calendar,” said Tejpar at the finish.

“I thought I was prepared for the event but it really did surprise me just how difficult it would be and the days were really long. But when you get to compete alongside the best drivers in the world on stages that are 35km long it doesn’t take you long to remember why you are there and how privileged you are.”

Tejpar was frustrated by the technical issues that blighted her event but it did not hamper her goal of completing the rally.