Matthew Wilson

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Matthew Wilson

World Rally Championship record
Nationality	English
Active years	2004 -
Teams	Ford
World rallies	0
Championships	0
Wins	0
Podium finishes	0
Stage wins	0
Points	2




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Matthew Wilson (born 29th January, 1987) is a World Rally Championship driver from Cockermouth in Cumbria, England. He is the son of M-Sport boss and former WRC driver, Malcolm Wilson.

He competed in his first rally, the 2003 Malcolm Wilson Rally, as co-driver to his father, and together they won the event. His first WRC event was the Wales Rally GB in 2004, in which he finished in 13th place overall.

He was one of only six drivers and co-drivers selected for the MSA British Rally Elite training scheme designed for young British drivers in 2005, and became the youngest ever winner of a British Rally Championship round in the same year when he won the Trackrod Rally aged 18 years, 8 months and 5 days. However, in April 2005, on a test day for the International Rally of Wales, he slid off the road on a sixth-gear corner whilst leading the event. He broke his right wrist and left forearm, as well as damaging his right knee. His co-driver, Scott Martin, also broke his left leg in the accident. Even now, almost two years on, when Matthew flexes his right knee, the screw that was fitted to assist the healing process is visible^{[citation needed]}. When Wilson returned to rallying four months later, he finished second overall on the Gleanor Speyside Stages Rally. Despite months out of action due to the injury, he still finished seventh overall in the 2005 British Rally Championship driving for Eddie Stobart Motorsport, scoring 38 points.

Other events in 2005 included winning the Malcolm Wilson Rally, the McRae Stages Rally (a round of the Scottish Rally Championship) and the inaugural Rally Ireland, where he competed with current co-driver Michael Orr for the first time.

2006 was Matthew's first full season in the WRC, as a driver for the Stobart VK Ford team. He competed in all 16 rallies, and became the youngest ever world rally driver to win a stage (the Cordoba Stadium superspecial stage on Rally Argentina), and score championship points - when he finished eighth overall on that event. He finished 28th in the season’s standings with one point, but was classified as a finisher in every event, an achievement no other driver managed in 2006.

It is well known in rallying that Malcolm Wilson has a five-year plan for Matthew, starting in 2006 and running right through until 2010. 2006 was intended as a 'learning' year, and Matthew was told to finish every rally, taking points as a bonus. In 2007, Matthew and co-driver Orr are only nominated for manufacturer points in the rallies that teammate Jari-Matti Latvala is not competing in, taking some pressure off Wilson.