FORCES mechanic George Morrison will contest this weekend’s Weir Engineering Wyedean Forest Rally, ending his two-year sabbatical from the sport.

Morrison, from Tidworth, has been out of competitive driving action since June 2013 when he suffered a car destroying roll in his Peugeot 205 on Jim Clark Rally in Scotland.

Unable to repair the car due to the damage sustained, Morrison set about looking for a new car and acquired his new 1400cc MG ZR last last year.

Co-driven in 2015 by Glen Mercer, he will use the MG to contest events from Somerset to Scotland in a bid to win the MG ZR Challenge.

Morrison will tackle the popular BTRDA Rally Championship and the 10-round season kicks off with the Forest of Dean-based event, Morrison featuring in the MGZR Challenge which is incorporated in the all-gravel championship.

“It feels like ages since I've sat in a rally car” he said.

“It took me a while to get over our Jim Clark accident and missing out on the rest of the year was really disappointing.

“But watching everyone else compete gave me the enthusiasm to formulate plan and when the MG came up for sale I just couldn’t refuse.’’ He added: “We had a look around for a championship to do this year and the BTRDA was a natural fit for me and the car.

“I enjoy gravel rallies and there is a good spread of events across the UK but I was conscience I wasn’t match fit.

“We have been testing with the car and it feels great. It’s a lot more stable than the 205 and much more forgiving so should mean I`ll be able to push a little harder.

“I took an interest in the MG ZR Challenge last year and kept one eye on it from afar. It’s a really close championship so I`m looking forward to getting stuck in and see how we get on!”

The Wyedean Forest Rally starts at Chepstow Racecourse early on Saturday.