Dan hoping to be the man in rally title bid (From Lancashire Telegraph)

Dan hoping to be the man in rally title bid

1:40pm Thursday 19th January 2012 in Motor sport By Tom Maston

BARROWFORD rally star Daniel Barritt is looking forward to a successful 2012 on the FIA WRC Academy Tour.

Co-driver Barritt, 30, will be partnering Northern Ireland’s 23-year-old rising star Alastair Fisher for a second season in their Ford Fiesta R2.

The duo are aiming to improve on their third place finish in last year’s championship.

Barritt said: “We’re going to try and win because we’ve got the speed.

“We just need the luck and consistency that we didn’t have last year.

“I think a bit of inexperience meant we weren’t as consistent as we would have liked to have been last year, and if we can get some luck then we should have a good chance.”

The pair already have a programme in place that they hope will aid them in their quest for victory on the tour.

“We are going to take part in the first two races of the British Champion-ships as practice before the Academy Tour starts,” Barritt said.

“We’ve also got three or four other races in the pipeline where we will use a different car, although nothing is concrete yet.”

The Academy Tour is designed to give younger drivers a chance to develop their talent on the world stage, and consists of six races which run alongside those of the World Rally Championship.

Barritt has been involved in rally driving for a number of years, and is particularly looking forward to one race on the calendar.

“Finland in August would probably be the one,” he said.

“‘I’ve been there three times and crashed out every time so hopefully we can go there this year, first of all finish and hopefully in a good time.”

Barritt and Fisher are all set for the new season after an encouraging first year together, and with their plans set in place early, they could be on course for success in 2012.

The duo’s hopes of winning the title during 2011 were hampered by mechanical issues at a series of events.