Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy driver William Creighton will tackle his first Jim Clark Rally this weekend [24/25 May], as he heads for round three of the Probite British Rally Championship in the Scottish Borders.
Creighton and co-driver Liam Regan currently lie second in the championship standings after two confidence-boosting runner-up spots in the first two rounds of the season. The M-Sport Ford Fiesta Rally2 crew lie just four points shy of the series lead as they head to the Duns-based event for the first time.
Dovetailing a BRC campaign with his FIA World Rally Championship programme, Creighton has enjoyed a positive start to his season, with impressive performances on both surfaces. The wet asphalt of the North West Stages kicked off the season in March before the world-class Mid-Wales gravel of the Severn Valley Stages offered another new experience for the Irishman.
Now, the highly regarded roads of the Beatson’s Building Supplies Jim Clark Rally provide the next chapter of his assault on the series, but also a step into uncharted waters, as Creighton has never contested the event before.
“I’ve heard a lot about the Jim Clark Rally and it has a lot of history, especially in the BRC and of course when the Irish Tarmac Rally Championship used to visit there as well” says Creighton.
“It’s a really popular event and looking at the stages it provides a real challenge for both car and crew. I`m really looking forward to the opportunity of competing in a top car on some fantastic roads”.
The two-day event offers over 86 miles of competition and kicks off on Friday with a three-stage loop that includes the iconic Langton water splash, Blackadder and the tricky Abbey St Bathans test. After a short service, the loop is repeated, and crews head out into darkness for a challenging end to the leg.
Saturday sees eight further stages, with more classics such as Ayton and Fogo on the billing.
“The Jim Clark is much longer than say the first round on asphalt and I like that” continues Creighton.
“It means you can really get stuck into the stages, and we have a few tarmac events under our belts now, some of which were in the dark so hopefully we can put that experience to good use at the weekend.
“The BRC continues to provide a good opportunity for Liam [Regan] and me to get good seat time and we are in a nice rhythm going from one event to the next. The championship is going well for us, and I think that’s down to us just focusing on our own event, pace, and constantly striving to improve what we are doing. That’s the same sort of approach we will be using going forward into the Jim Clark and hopefully that will reap rewards come Saturday afternoon.”
