MOTORSPORT: Rally champ ventures into new world

Reigning Australian rally champion Scott Pedder, a father of four children in his late 30s who overcame a horror crash 4½ years ago in which both his legs were broken, is embarking on a world rallying career.

Pedder is to drive five rounds of this year's WRC2 in a brand new Ford Fiesta R5.

He will contest four consecutive events in the WRC2 in Portugal , Sardinia, Poland and Finland, skipping Germany, and then resume for Rally Australia at Coffs Harbour in mid-September.

Pedder says he's also eying the Spanish and British rounds at the end of the season.

He said the events chosen fitted with his experience in gravel rallying, rather than the tarmac, snow and ice of other world rallies.

WRC2 is the major support category within the World Rally Championship, for drivers in production cars up to 1600cc. The field comprises Fords, Citroens, Peugeots and this year Skodas.

Pedder, whose regular job is as group marketing director of Pedders Suspension, will be partnered in his new international campaign by Dale Moscatt, his co-driver in last year's ARC triumph. They will be Australia's major representatives in international rallying this year, with Chris Atkinson's career at a new standstill.

Pedder's previous overseas outings were the 2007 Rally New Zealand and the 2008 Asia-Pacific Rally Championship. Most of his rally-driving career has been in Mitsubishi Evos, but he won the Australian title in a Renault Clio assisted by Walkinshaw Racing.

Pedder broke his right knee and left ankle at Rally South Australia in 2010 and said he had "thought it was all over, that I'd probably never even drive a rally car again".

He spent 2011-12 as the ARC director, introducing an era with the emphasis on two-wheel-drive cars, now abandoned.

He returned to driving in the ARC in 2013 with a Renault, originally a fairly standard R3-specification car later updated to the full G2 regulations.

The Fiesta that Pedder and Moscatt will campaign this year will be run by Spanish outfit RMC, which won the 2013 Production WRC with Peruvian driver Nicholas Fuchs.

"They are a great team, very professional and with a lot of experience in the WRC," Pedder said.

"Our program in WRC2 is the culmination of a lot of hard work behind the scenes by a lot of different people.

"They are five amazing events, they will be extremely demanding, but I believe that, between Dale's prior experience competing in the WRC and the team we have behind us, we are in with a shot of securing some strong results."

The even more experienced Moscatt, who is 40 and the father of two children, said WRC2 was "going to be a huge learning curve for Scott".

"But he's proven how quickly he can adapt, especially to new cars, so I don't think it will take him long to show his potential," Moscatt said.

"With Rally Portugal moving to a new region [in late May] this year we're not starting at such a disadvantage and by having the first four events back-to-back I'm confident we will be able to get a good rhythm going and start pushing some of the more experienced WRC2 drivers."

Pedder has become a more complete rally driver since linking with Moscatt.

"Dale is a true professional and was a major reason for the success last year," Pedder said.

"I wouldn't say he is a calming influence because he is probably more competitive than me, but he is a guru of real perspective, reading a situation, saying the right things at the right time and essentially helping me just drive."