BLACKBURN businessman and rally sponsor John Stone will unveil his newly acquired Skoda Fabia WRC for the first time on his home event.

It was following a conversation with Irish Tarmac Champion Eugene Donnelly that Stone, managing director of Legend Fires at Whitebirk, decided to buy the Czech supercar.

Having sold his familiar MG Metro 6R4, he sought Donnelly’s advice on the pros and cons of Skoda ownership.

He said: “Eugene has just won his fifth Irish title with a Fabia WRC. He told me they were very reliable, and pound for pound as good as an 2006 or 2007 Ford Focus.

“That was good enough for me and if I can get half his results I’ll be well pleased!”

The car is an ex-works example driven on three WRC rounds in 2006 by Finn Harri Rovanperä, after which it spent some time in Italy before Dutch driver Erik Wevers acquired the car in 2008.