Dealer
Youngest JWRC driver Tom Williams delighted with new Stilo ST5 Rally 8860
0 Comments
Tom Williams is the latest rally driver to switch to a full face Stilo ST5 Rally 8860, and he gave it a magnificent debut by finishing sixth in the FIA Junior World Rally Championship on his first attempt at Rally Finland.
The 19-year old paid a visit to Nicky Grist Motorsports to get some advice on a new helmet and was super impressed with the design, technology and strength of the Stilo ST5 Rally 8860. Tom also picked up some pace note advice from Nicky, which he put to good use in Finland.
Tom has only been rallying for four years. He won the Formula 1000 Rookie of the Year Award in 2015 in a Nissan Micra, before contesting gravel events in 2016 in a Ford Fiesta R1. After a year in the 2017 British Rally Championship, where he finished runner-up in the Cadet category in a Fiesta R2, Tom moved into the JWRC this year, where he is the youngest of all 15 drivers. Eager to gain WRC experience, he and co-driver Phil Hall have also ventured outside the European-based JWRC, contesting Rally Mexico in their Fiesta R2T, which is supported by Genesis3D, 88cars, Pirelli, SpillAway projects, Holt, FX Rallyschool, Raceparts and 2jgraphics.
After over 40 rallies with a Stilo WRC DES 8860, Tom felt it time to have a helmet makeover, and he’s delighted with his brand new Stilo ST5 Rally 8860.
“I liked the look of the Stilo ST5 Rally 8860, but whilst full face helmets are very popular in racing I wasn’t sure if the visibility would be good enough in rallying – but having used it for the first time on Rally Finland, it’s exactly the same as an open face,” said Tom. “It’s also a lot cooler than an open face, as there are air holes at the top of the helmet which circulate air around your head. That’s going to be important when we go to Rally Turkey next, as it’s almost forty degrees there at the moment.
“Going to visit Nicky Grist was a great experience, because not only did he give me some expert advice on Stilo helmets, he also gave me a lot of advice on pacenotes. I had an accident on Rally Portugal, and that was because my pacenotes were simply not good enough. In the eight weeks between Portugal and Finland we worked hard on improving them. Now they’re a lot more consistent and better organised, and we had absolutely no problems with them at all in Finland and came home sixth out of thirteen finishers.
“Rally Turkey is a new event for everyone and there are double JWRC points up for grabs. It’s going to be a tough event both mentally and physically, so I’ve been working hard on my fitness – and with my new Stilo helmet and pacenote system, it’s an event I’m very much looking forward to.”
