William Creighton got to grips with the gravel, taking second overall at round two of the Probite British Rally Championship, the Rallynuts Severn Valley Stages
Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy and M-Sport driver quickly finds his feet on his loose surface debut in the car
Creighton sets two fastest times on his way to his second BRC podium and now lies second in the championship table
Irishman has no time to reflect on his result, as he heads to the next round of the World Rally Championship, the Croatia Rally
Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy driver William Creighton stormed to second overall at the Rallynuts Severn Valley Stages on Saturday [13 April], his second Probite British Rally Championship podium result in as many rounds.
Creighton and co-driver Liam Regan took their M-Sport Ford Fiesta Rally2 to another impressive result, despite the event marking Creighton’s Rally2 debut on a gravel surface. Adding to the North West Stages runner-up spot, the Irishman now finds himself second overall in the championship standings, just four points shy of the series lead.
Round two of the BRC would see a shift onto gravel after the closed road asphalt of the season opener. Legendary Welsh stages as used on the iconic Wales Rally GB events of the past including Myherin and Sweet Lamb were on offer, with over 62 miles of challenging forests packed into a single day.
To add further complexity to the already tricky gravel tests, sporadic heavy rain and thick mist over the Welsh mountains made it a tough baptism for a first competitive outing on gravel in Rally2 machinery. But Creighton was eager to make the most from the debut, for his BRC campaign and for his WRC2 assault which will shift onto a loose surface in the coming months.
Seven stages lay head and Creighton wasted no time in bedding himself in, going fourth fastest on the short opening Sarnau test. As the morning progressed, he moved into third overall and the stages got longer, Creighton began to gain confidence, culminating in the second fastest time over the final test of the morning loop.
Having made some changes to the cars set up throughout the morning, the fastest time over the Sarnau repeat run cemented his third spot. But it was the longest stage of the rally, the 15.82-mile Myherin Main test where Creighton shone, stopping the clocks 15 seconds faster than the second-place man Chris Ingram, meaning he inherited that spot with one stage to go.
A confident run over the final Hafren Main stage saw Creighton seal second overall and once again prove his adaptability behind the wheel of his Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy-backed Fiesta Rally2.
“It’s been a very challenging day but I`m really happy with another BRC podium against such stiff competition,” said Creighton.
“I thought it may take a little while to get up to speed on gravel in the car and we were progressive all day long which is a good sign going forward. We made several changes over the morning loop and this afternoon felt really good, despite the pretty terrible conditions out there. The guys here know these stages well, so to be setting some fastest times is encouraging. It’s been a great weekend and thank you to the Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy for their support and of course M-Sport for yet another flawless car”.
But Creighton has no time to enjoy the glory of the weekend, as he heads straight to Croatia to continue his FIA World Rally Championship WRC2 journey.
“It’s been a busy few months and that continues now as we make the switch back to the WRC and the tar” he continues.
“Of course, the WRC2 championship is a very different proposition from the BRC so we almost have to press the reset button after Saturday, but having the benefit of seat time so close to a rally is hugely beneficial and that will allow us to feel more comfortable heading into the weekend.
“We enjoyed Rally Sweden but now we have had the benefit of more experience on asphalt it will feel more comfortable from the outset. The WRC2 plan hasn’t changed though, and we will continue to build experience and pace when we feel the time is right. Getting mileage at that level under our belt is important and certainly the focus for the week ahead.”
Rally Croatia [18-21 April] sees 20 stages and over 280 kilometres of stages, which offer a mix of high-speed stretches mixed with tight hairpins and technical sections, throughout the three days of competitive action.
In the Junior element, three Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy crews participated;
Cian Caldwell/Liam Egan, Kyle McBride/Darragh Mullen and Keelan Grogan/Ayrton Sherlock.
Kyle McBride and Darragh Mullen were second.
Keelan Grogan and Ayrton Sherlock were placed third.
Text by : MCR Motorsport Media / William Creighton Media Office
Pics by: BRC / MIRallyAcademy