Get Involved
Thanks for taking the time out to read this brief introduction to rallying and the successful and renowned partnership of Matt Edwards and Sam Collis!
Matt and Sam are currently contesting and leading one of the best followed UK Rally Championships in their MG ZR run by the professional 586 Sport Team. Despite a relative inexperience with this car, the vast experience of the crew and the team around them mean this is already a winning combination in the 2010 national level rally season; but to continue this winning form they need a bit of support!
This is your unique opportunity to get involved in an exciting sport alongside one of the most talked about crews in the country and one of the most experienced rally teams in the business. After 2 rounds of the Millers Oils BTRDA 1400 Championship, and just two events completed by Matt and Sam in the car, they co-lead the series, and as such, are looking for the support they need to continue their impressive start to the season.
Success however is no stranger to the crew. Matt; now in his 4th full season of rallying, has a long list of championship titles to his name and many class wins, and along with great character and personality traits, Matt is one of the most popular and talked about young prospects in the sport with an already proven track record as a consistently fast and highly talented driver. Sam Collis who occupies the hot seat on-board with Matt, has over 300 events experience and has sat alongside some of the best in the business, racking up event win after event win, and at only 23, this underlines his commitment and passion for the sport. The pair have already notched up one 1400 event win in 2010 on the Malcolm Wilson Rally in Cumbria!
Profile/Achievements: Matt Edwards
LLandudno based 25 year old Matt Edwards has recently embarked on his 6th season of Rallying and is now a well-known figure both within the sport as a determined character, and within his local area as a sports star.
Matt is now Self-Employed after a spell working for Ford World Rally team in Cockermouth. Using his ever increasing experience and contacts within the sport, he spends many hours instructing at Rallyschool.co.uk’s venues, and also with a range of motorsport related companies selling items from Mitsubishi Gearboxes from Evoparts.org, to fuel and brake-line fittings for Racing-lines.com; a company new to motorsport who were quick to make use of his industry experience on his departure from M-Sport.
Despite his ongoing budgetary constraints to compete at the level his ambitions aspire to, Matt already has several impressive titles to his name, including;
2009 Fiesta Sport Trophy Media Award Winner
2009 Fiesta Sport Trophy Runner-Up
2009 Bulldog and Manx BRC Challenge Rally Winner
2008 ANWCC Forest Champion
2008 Welsh National Grp N Champion
2008 Welsh National and BTRDA U-25 Champion
2008 BTRDA Grp N Champion Runner-Up
2006/7/8 ANWCC Junior Champion
2007 Welsh National U-25 and Class A Champion
2007 BTRDA B8 Class Champion in 1400 Series
2007 Runner Up BTRDA 1400 Series
Matt had a relatively late start to his rallying career, contesting his first rally at 20 years old. That event was his local Cambrian Rally, a rally that in future years would play a big part in his career. For the time being, Matt was gaining experience in his self-built and prepared 1400 Vauxhall Astra, and also building up a reputation as a gutsy and determined competitor, often going the extra mile on his comparatively small budget and basic car.
With event class awards and championship titles racking up, Matt finally got his first big chance, as with the support of Geoff Jones behind him, Matt would compete in 4wd for the first time in 2008 BTRDA events. This season would see Matt gaining in speed and confidence in every event, achieving faster and faster stage times, yet always bringing the car home; indicating maturity beyond his years and a talent that enabled him to quickly adapt to different cars.
In his career so far, Matt has already competed in four different 4 wheel drive cars, and three different front wheel drive cars, and on each occasion found himself at the front of both rally and championship tussles. 2009 saw him finish runner up in the highly coveted Fiesta Sport Trophy, but despite this achievement no budget has been forthcoming for the 2010 season. With the help of the 586 Sport team, Matt has been able to contest the first two round of the BTRDA Championship, and true to form, with great success! Below is an outline of the costs involved for each event!
Each 2010 BTRDA event incurs the following costs
Event Entry Fee £420.00
Pace Notes £60.00
Rally Car Hire £1500.00 (Includes service vehicle and crew)
2 New Tyres £200.00
Accommodation* £150.00
Fuel for vehicles £200.00
Total £2530.00
Due to the on-going budgetary constraints, the team often utilises campsites close to the rally start venue to reduce costs, but in an ideal world there is better chance of a good nights sleep in preparation for an event if proper accommodation is reserved.
At this stage in the year the crew have already secured some elements of these costs through association with other supporting partners, however there is still a proportion of the budget still to be secured!
So the big question is what’s in it for you!?
The honest answer is pretty much anything! The possibilities are endless as to what can be done in return, particularly when the contacts and experience the team has in the sport.
Generally speaking, supporting Matt and Sam with any of the above finances gives your company access to their mailing list of hundreds of contacts involved in motorsport media and local and national media alike. The team publish a pre and post event interactive press release to a range of sources that can potentially include your logos. Furthermore, these releases generate statistics based on who has read them and what areas of the release they have clicked on whilst reading it to trace their success!
The team also makes use of support from a motorsport video editing company who supply ‘Youtube’ utilising the logos of the teams partners. The videos feature both ‘In-Car and out-car action sequences, and frequently generates over 1000 views. From here it is possible to see the potential of having your company slogans and logos visible to both interior and exterior cameras for the thousands of spectators on the vents, and for those enthusiasts following progress from their armchairs!
An Example of Formats of our Media Releases
Rally driving days can be arranged, trips to events to support the team, photo shoots, team clothing, the list goes on, simply discuss your requirements with us and who knows what the potential success of a new partnership between your business and motorsport may bring you!
Even for web-based companies, M.E.Rallysport and the 586 Sport team can bring you ‘hits’ through their own domains of www.merallysport.com and www.586sport.com, so theres no excuse not to get involved; it may only cost you as little as 1 tank of fuel to reap the rewards.
With even the smallest amount of support, the renowned and popular M.E.Rallysport Pairing of Matt Edwards and Sam Collis would have the ammunition, coupled with their talents and the enthusiasm they need to continue their championship bid with their 586 Sport-run MGZR. Matt has campaigned since his first event using minimal funds available to him, his gutsy and determined character pulling through even the toughest of occasions to win classes, events and championships over the last four years; a feat which alone justifies your support.
Matt won the coveted Motorsports News Media Award in 2009 for his own efforts in promoting his season to local and national media outlets
For more information or to a range a meeting please contact Matt at
• merallysport@tiscali.co.uk
• 07760330725
• http://www.merallysport.com
For more information on the BTRDA Rally series please visit www.btrdarally.com and to see more of the crew in action, type ‘Matt Edwards Rally’ into the Youtube search tab.
Thanks for your time in reading and we look forward to hearing from you soon.