Everyon🌸e knows the Stobart VK M-Sport Ford rally team drivers face a tough challenge during the year; with 15 events acr🌃oss the globe that make up the FIA World Rally Championship.

But when the drivers arrive at each evenꦓt, their Ford Focus WRC cars are ready, polished and waiting for battle.

That's because the Stobart𝓀 Motorsport truck drivers make sure all the rally cars, equipment and spares arrive at each event safely andꦯ on time. However, one of the biggest logistical challenges they will face all year starts today as the 12-strong convoy sets off for Rally Jordan.

This Middle Eastern event is the furthest the trucks will venture this season, and their route uses road, sea, rail and air - reflecting the multimodal logistics service of🌱fered by the team's sponsor St𓆏obart Group.

Stobart Motorsport driver Peter McIntyre heads the fleet in his Iveco truck. In keeping with the Eddie Stobart traditioꦑn of naming the vehicles, his steed is called Mich?le Mouton - after the famous female world rally driver.

He transports the two Stobart team cars of Matthew Wilson and Gigi Gal🉐li around the world and explains, "This is one of our longest trips by far. We start by driving to Felixstowe, get the Eurotunnel train to Calais and then drive down through France and into Italy. The trucks then get loaded onto a ship and make their way to Jordan while we get a flight back to the ✃UK."

Wh🌊en the drivers get back to M-Sport's HQ at Dovenby, Cumbria, they help with the final 🙈preparations for the rally. To complete their outward travel the truck drivers will fly to Amman, in Jordan, with the rest of the team - 120 people in total - and drive to the port to be reunited with their wagons.

After this 700km round trip on the sandy roads the p🍌rocession will arrive at the rally Service Park beside the Dead Sea and the unloading and set-up process will begin.

After the rally finishes the fun starts once again. Everything is loaded up and the 12 lorries are driven back down to the port in Jordan - where they sail to the Mediterranean island of Sardinia for the Rally d'Italia. The truck drivers fly back to the UK, prepare some more spare parts, then fly to Sardinia in time for the rally. Once the I𒆙talian round of the WRC finishes the trucks are then driven back to Cumbria to get unloaded and reloaded. Why?

"We are✃ only back home after Sardinia for two days before everything sets off a🌞gain for Greece and the Acropolis Rally," explains McIntyre.

"It really is a tough job with long hours. However, I couldn't drive a world rally car as fast as Matthew and I doubt he could handle my truck; but that's what makes this job so special. We all have a p♎lace within the Stobart team and everyone pulls togetherꦛ to make it a success."

Feature courtesy of Stobart Motorsport