Last updated 19:45, Thursday, 05 June 2008

COCKERMOUTH rally driver Matthew Wilson’s form in this years World Rally Championship is delighting his team boss and dad Malcolm.

The Stobart VK Ford driver has scored 10 points in this year’s championship, two behind his overall haul of 12 last year and with eight rallies still to go.

Only 21, Matthew is ninth in this year’s championship and has finished in the points three times this year.

He came fifth in Jordan, and sixth in both Mexico and Greece.

But it was the rally in Greece last weekend that really caught the eye of his dad.

Malcolm said: “I am delighted with Matthew’s form this year. He is making good, steady progress and is driving really well.

“In Greece I thought he was superb, finishing sixth overall, he managed to avoid any problems in what is probably the hardest rally of the season so far.

“Matthew has been great this year and is continuing to develop with every race. He is now finishing more events and gaining experience all the time. Now that we have established him as a good World Rally driver it is time for him to push on.

“I don’t see why Matthew can’t finish on the podium this season, especially with Rally Ireland and Rally Great Britain still to come.

“They are Matthew’s home rallies and he can really do well there this year. We don’t want to put pressure on him but we know he can do it.

“We are only half way through the season and he is scoring well. For the second half of the season we will be working on building up Matthew’s speed a little bit more and hopefully you might see him on the podium.”

A former Cockermouth School pupil, Matthew is the youngest driver to win a stage on a World Rally event, when he won a super stage in Argentina in 2006.

At that same rally Matthew became the youngest driver to pick up points in a rally when he finished in eighth place.