Ben McFall has enjoyed the perfect start to life at the front of both the Junior British Rally Championship and BRC4 standings, claiming victory on both opening rounds in his Ford Fiesta Rally4.
The Irishman was untouchable on the Severn Valley Stages, dominating the event by winning six of the seven stages to announce himself as a serious championship contender from the outset.
But if the opening round suggested McFall would cruise through the season, the Jim Clark Rally proved anything but.
A fierce multi-car battle developed throughout the Scottish Borders, with BRC4 newcomer Ross Hunter immediately making his presence felt on debut, while Luke Constantine and co-driver Ifan Devine mounted a relentless challenge for Junior BRC honours. Hunter pushed McFall hard through Friday evening’s stages, before Constantine emerged as the biggest threat on Saturday, trading fastest times and closing the gap over the final loop.
McFall, however, demonstrated the composure of a champion, absorbing the pressure to secure a second consecutive Junior BRC and BRC4 victory. Constantine’s determined drive earned second place in the Junior standings and top honours among the Stellantis Rally Trophy UK contenders, whilst Hunter completed the BRC4 podium after an eye-catching championship debut. Sam Mason added another strong points haul to finish third in the Junior classification.
Heading to the Grampian Forest Rally, McFall remains the man everyone is chasing, but the opening rounds have shown there is no shortage of challengers waiting to capitalise. Constantine has established himself as McFall’s closest rival in the Junior championship, Hunter has already demonstrated race-winning pace in BRC4, and with the demanding Scottish forests providing a completely different test to the opening rounds, another closely fought battle looks assured.
