Leading oil blender Morris Lubricants is preparing to step onto the global stage this weekend as international rally stars lock horns in the second round of the Drive DMACK Fiesta Trophy.
Morris Lubricants is the official lubricant sponsor for the 12 participating cars in the competition, which sees up-and-coming rally drivers from around the world tearing around five different world championship courses across Europe.
Rally fans will be watching on as the second round of the contest, The Lotos Rally, takes place in Mikolajki, Poland, from Thursday to Sunday.
Each of the M-Sport-prepared Ford Fiesta R2 rally cars in the competition use Morris X-RPM Competition 10w-60 engine oil, Morris Lodexol XFS 80W-140 gear oil and Morris DOT 4 brake fluid.
The fully synthetic lubricants deliver an extremely strong protective film to withstand severe shock loading, protect component integrity and ensure effective cooling even at peak racing temperatures on the tough world rally events.
Craig Bastable, marketing manager at Morris Lubricants, said: “We are delighted to be playing such an influential role in this season’s Drive DMACK Fiesta Trophy and there was certainly plenty of excitement around the first event in Portugal.
“I’m sure that will be replicated in Poland and it will again be the ideal chance to showcase the high performance capabilities of Morris Lubricants.
“It’s a fantastic championship to be involved in and enables us to increase awareness around the brand and our products to international markets.”
Shrewsbury-based Morris Lubricants has an additional interest in the Drive DMACK Fiesta Trophy as principle sponsor and partner of talented Welsh driver Tom Cave, the only British entry.
Cave and his co-driver, fellow Brit Craig Parry, had a fantastic start to their Trophy campaign in round one, finishing second overall behind Estonian Sander Pärn having held a 0.4 second lead at one stage.
Cave, 22, has fond memories of the Poland course having driven it in 2009, the last time it formed part of the FIA World Rally Championship, where he won all but one of the stages he drove competitively in his class.
The route this year is about 60 per cent the same as it was five years ago, giving Cave a slight advantage over his rivals.
“Poland is very unique, I competed back in 2009 so that gives me a good idea of what preparation needs to be done going into the recce,” said Cave, from Aberdovey in West Wales.
“The stages are really nice to drive, they will reward drivers who are brave and committed. I want to win but I’m under no illusion how hard that will be.
“I’d like to come away from Poland leading the championship as that will give me a good confidence boost going into Finland next month. I’ve competed a lot in Latvia and Lithuania before where the conditions are similar so I’m hoping that experience will really help.”
The prize awaiting the winner of the Drive DMACK Fiesta Trophy is a fully-paid, seven-event programme in an M-Sport Ford Fiesta R5 in the 2015 World Rally Championship 2 series.
Mr Bastable added: “Tom enjoyed a fantastic start to the season and proved in Portugal he’s going to be a major contender in the Drive DMACK Fiesta Trophy this year.
“We’ll be cheering Tom on in Poland. He is an excellent driver with a huge career ahead of him.”
Morris Lubricants, one of the last oil blenders in the UK, is also a key sponsor of Lea Wood, who is competing in the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship this season with the newly-formed Houseman Racing team.