GRAMPIAN RALLY
Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy driver William Creighton heads to the Grampian Rally this weekend as leader of the British Rally Championship.
The Voyonic Grampian Forest Rally marks the switch back to gravel for the Probite British Rally Championship and a welcome return to the super-fast and flowing stages in Kincardineshire this weekend.
Creighton and co-driver Liam Regan have enjoyed an impressive BRC form in their debut season in Rally2 machinery, taking three second-place results.
The M-Sport Ford Rally Team crew are dovetailing a WRC2 campaign and is heading to Scotland in their Pirelli-shod example fresh from a string of super-fast WRC gravel events in Latvia and Finland.
They ended Rally Finland in 16th place in the WRC2 Challenger category. Their focus will now switch to next Saturday’s Grampian Rally, the fourth round of the British Rally Championship, to extend their overall lead in that series.
“This legendary event was everything we had expected and more besides, with an already challenging event made tougher still with the weather. Such amazing roads to compete on and we are pleased to finally get to sample the stages that have been in the history books for years,” said Creighton in Finland.
“Another weekend of learning and building experience - but no time to rest as we prepare for our next British Rally Championship outing next weekend!”
While the Motorsport Ireland crew are chasing a maiden outright win, they face stern competition from the likes of 2019 European champion Chris Ingram who lies second in the championship.
A difficult start to the year for four-time BRC champion Keith Cronin was put well and truly behind him at the Jim Clark Rally with a win in his Fiesta Rally2 and Mikie Galvin alongside.
He is also a former winner of the Grampian, beating Osian Pryce, who is also on the entry list, in a tight battle in 2022.
BRC Junior
Three Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy crews will also be gunning for Junior BRC glory in Scotland.
Kyle McBride and Darragh Mullen [Peugeot 208 Rally4] took the top spot last time out after a spectacular battle in the Scottish Borders lanes with newcomer Ryan MacHugh [Fiesta Rally4].
“It is my first time doing this event so it's going to be a new challenge. The stages look quite good. They are fast in places - on one stage there is a new section use which is going to be really tricky, it is all overgrown so it's going to cut up really bad,” said Peugeot 208 Rally4 driver McBride.
MacHugh’s BRC pace was instant, and while gravel may not be his preferred surface, the Donegal man will certainly be a threat to the field on only his second outing away from home.
Keelan Grogan [Peugeot 208 Rally4] makes his second Junior BRC appearance of the season.
The rally is a counting round of the Stellantis Cup and the Leitrim-based driver and his Galway co-driver Ayrton Sherlock lead the new-for-2024 one-make championship after four of eight rounds with McBride in second.
Grogan said: “It is great to be getting back into action after a few weeks of a break [since the Donegal International Rally] and brilliant to be back on the gravel in the Grampian. We are midway through the Stellantis Cup and we are leading, but only by one point so everything is still to play for. As always the competition will be tough but we will be looking to get a good result.”
The Grampian Forest Rally gets underway on Friday with a ceremonial start in Banchory town centre before two stages during the early evening.
The remainder of the event is packed into Saturday, with seven stages on offer.
CORK FORESTRY RALLY
The Sligo Pallets Motorsport Ireland National Forestry Rally Championship resumes this weekend with the Mallow-based Cork Forestry Rally.
Making a welcome return to the series is last year’s Sligo Pallets Motorsport Ireland National Forestry champion Ryan Caldwell.
He made history last season by becoming the youngest-ever winner of the title at 21.
So far this year he has only contested three rallies, and only one of them The Fivemile Town Forestry Rally, was on his favoured gravel surface.
“I am looking forward to getting back onto gravel. It has been a few months but we’re ready to take on the Cork Forestry Rally,” said the Tyrone-based Skoda Fabia R5 driver.
“I haven’t done much gravel this year but hopefully we can get back up to speed fairly fast.”
The rally doubles as a counting round of the Motorsport Ireland Junior Rally Series and as a result, several Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy members are entered.
It is a big weekend for championship leader Craig Rahill. The Cork Motor Club-organised event will be his first gravel rally since the Rali Terras d'Aboboreira in April.
That Portuguese event was his first overseas rally but a good result in Cork is crucial for his Junior Rally Series title aspirations as he plans to expand his European experience later in the year.
“I am looking forward to getting back out on the gravel next weekend in Cork, our first gravel rally since Portugal so we are hoping to bring experience gained from there to step our pace up another level,” explained the Ford Fiesta Rally4 driver.
”We were third on the last round of the MIJRS and we are currently leading it so will be aiming to score maximum points to stay ahead as we will be missing the penultimate round in Galway as we are taking on our first FIA European Rally Championship event in Ceredigion that weekend, will be a lot to learn that weekend but looking forward to the experience and see where our pace is at against the best in Europe!”
The Cork Forestry Rally will mark the start of a busy period for Jack Brennan.
Like Rahill, he has placed an entry for the FIA European Rally Championship-counting Rali Bae Ceredigion in late August.
The Billy Coleman Award winner is contesting both the Cork Forestry Rally and the Ulster Rally as part of his preparations for the Welsh event.
“The reason we wanted to enter the Cork Forestry Rally was to gain as much seat time as possible before,” said the Kilkenny-based Peugeot 208 Rally4 driver.
“I am really looking forward to getting back on the gravel. That's where I am more confident. I want as much time in the car as possible in preparation for Rali Ceredigion, so straight after the Cork Forestry Rally we will be heading to the Ulster Rally.”
Text by Sean Moriarty / Pics by MIRallyAcademy
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