Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy driver William Creighton continues his Probite British Rally Championship campaign this weekend, as he heads for the Carlisle Stages [12 April] in the world-famous Kielder Forest.
After securing his maiden BRC win at the season-opening East Riding Stages Rally in February, Creighton and co-driver Liam Regan will sample their Castrol-backed Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 on gravel for the first time, with the aim of adding to their perfect start to the season.
“It’s nice to be heading into the second round of the BRC as championship leader, but it’s very early days and the rest of the guys will be trying just as hard as usual” recognises Creighton.
‘This will be our first gravel rally in the car, so we will just approach the event and carry out our preparation in the same way as we did for the East Riding”.
Creighton’s methodology worked perfectly for the curtain raiser, setting the fastest time on seven of the event’s ten closed-road asphalt stages to claim his first BRC win by over 20 seconds. But the daunting roads of Kielder Forest provide one of the toughest gravel tests in the UK with its reputation for its unforgiving super-fast and ditch-lined stages synonymous across Europe and beyond.
Having tested some of the world’s best drivers over the decades, Creighton’s experience of Kielder is limited to just three appearances as part of his Junior BRC programme and with many of the stages utilised next weekend, new to the Moira driver, it offers an additional challenge for the Castrol MEM Rally Team ace.
“Knowing the characteristics of the forests in Kielder is useful but it’s a very different prospect to the last time we were there in 2019 in the Peugeot 208,” he says.
“Our preparation and notes will be instrumental in finding speed on the day. Most of the BRC front-runners have not been in Kielder forests for several years so it’s a good leveller and emphasises the importance of the recce”.
Buoyed by his opening round result and subsequent early lead in the championship, Creighton will be eager to continue his form on a gravel surface.
“We are planning to get a gravel test under our belts before the event and hopefully we can find a comfortable feeling to take us into the rally. With just 50 competitive miles it’s a bit of a sprint rather than a marathon so we will have to be quick out of the blocks but I’m looking forward to getting the Yaris into the forests. Once again thanks to the Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy and all our supporters for their continued support, it’s great to be fighting at the sharp end of the BRC once again this season”.
Just five stages make up the Carlisle Stages on Saturday [12 April], with well-known classics such as Chirdonhead and Kershope on the roster, before the mid-afternoon finish celebrations at Kielder Castle.
