Rally ace in Fast and Furious 6

Montgomeryshire's rally champion and stunt driver Mark Higgins is all set to appear in the latest movie blockbuster Fast and Furious 6 as one of the top stunt drivers undertaking some of the breathtaking action drives.

Mark, who lives at Abermule and already has a host of film stunt driving behind including the latest James Bond film, Skyfall, was picked as part of a handful of stunt drivers for the film.

But while much of his time has been making actos look good behind the wheel with his thrills and spills, he's also confirmed to MyNewtown that he will be returning to rallying next month in China.

And the topping on the cake this year is a bunch of awards he and his stunt driving colleagues have won for their action skills on the latest James Bond film.

“Skyfall was the second Bond film I was involved with, after driving in Quantum of Solace,” said Mark. “To be part of such an amazing film series is fantastic, and to be part of the most successful film is very special. I grew up watching James Bond.

“To then to be nominated for and win awards for doing that dream job is really fantastic. The stunt team on Skyfall were a great bunch of people to work with. And like rallying it really required a great team.”

The team were awarded the Screen Actors Guild award for Honours for Outstanding Action Performances by Film and Television Stunt Ensembles. The icing on the cake was to be nominated for a 2^nd Taurus Stunt award, (The Oscar equivalent in the Stunt industry) and along with four others in the team won for Best Work with a Vehicle, which motorbike stunt rider Robbie Madison picked up on our behalf in Los Angeles recently.

Mark can be seen on the big screen in Fast and Furious 6, which opens in the UK with its premier in London tomorrow (Friday).

“I drove most of the different cars in the film,” added Mark, who's brother runs a rally school near Carno. “Some of them were custom made and presented a great challenge. It was great to be part of this film and there was a lot of fun to be had in such amazing cars. We even had a Mk 1 Escort like we have on rally stages.”

With so much film work, it has been a while since Higgins competed in any championship, but that is about to change.

“I'm returning to the stages in June and really can't wait,” said Mark. “I will be going back to the Chinese rally championship, which I last did in 2011. I'll be joining the Subaru team, which is a new Team for me, and we intend to do the full championship.

"I've not competed with this team before, but they have always been our main competition, so I’m confident it’s a strong partnership. The championship is very diverse out there, with asphalt, gravel, mixed surface and ice events, so I’m anticiplating some great events. It's been very competitive in the past with several foreign drivers and I can’t wait to get back.”