Reigning FIA Junior WRC champion Romet Jürgenson claimed his maiden Probite British Rally Championship win on Saturday [12 April], storming to the Carlisle Stages victory in spectacular fashion across a dry and dusty Kielder Forest.
The Estonian M-Sport ace and co-driver Siim Oja set the fastest time on all but one stage to claim the win over round one victors William Creighton and Liam Regan, whilst Garry Pearson and Hannah McKillop rounded out the podium positions.
Five tests in the daunting and unforgiving England and Scotland border stages were in store, but each of the 50 miles would be a gruelling prospect. With car-sized ditches and each stage ultra-high speed in nature, fortune would favour the brave with the BRC returning to the complex for the first time since 2019.
It would be the Ford driver who was quickest out of the blocks on the short, sharp opening test, taking his Pirelli-shod Fiesta Rally2 to an early lead over an impressive time from Max McRae. But Creighton dug deep in his Toyota GR Yaris Rally2, responding on the very next test to move out front by the tightest of margins, just 1.1s separated him from Jürgenson who was left languishing in the thick dust which was lingering on the warm and still Spring morning.
But Creighton wasn’t heading the leaderboard for long, as the Baltic driver responded perfectly on the first pass of Buck Fell to regain control – a position he would never relinquish. When Creighton overcooked a chicane on the penultimate test, it was Jürgenson’s chance to pounce – and pounce he did, going 12.9 seconds faster than anyone else, enabling him to manage his final stage pace and secure his maiden overall victory and his first BRC maximum score in the process.
“Really happy to be honest, it finally has all come together,” said Jürgenson.
“It’s a first-time victory and it is a really cool feeling. I have really enjoyed today, OK the morning was a bit annoying because of all the dust – I couldn’t enjoy it. Stage three was OK, and I really liked stage four, but the win feels amazing and hopefully, we can [continue to] prove ourselves even more”.
Creighton was impressed with his Michelin-backed Yaris on the gravel and felt at ease on his loose surface debut in the car. Hampered a little by cleaning the road, he couldn’t match the Fiesta driver’s pace and when he lost 13 seconds on the penultimate test, it became all about damage limitation and scoring well for his BRC title aspirations.
The fight for the final podium position was just as thrilling as the top spots with Keith Cronin in the Citroen C3 Rally2 and locking horns with Garry Pearson in the Fiesta Rally2. Pearson moved into third when McRae’s Citroen cried enough after SS2 and duelled throughout the remaining tests with Cronin.
The Irishman’s fate was sealed when the C3 cut out on the penultimate test, losing over 40 seconds to Pearson and despite a late charge, couldn’t overhaul the Scotsman who was delighted to scoop a hard-fought podium after a round one retirement.
With only a few gravel rallies on the books in recent times, Callum Back was happy with fifth spot in his Fiesta Rally2 with Jack Morton on the notes, whilst Matt Hirst and Declan Dear rounded out the top six in their Fabia Rally2.
James Williams and his team performed a miracle, readying their MRF Tyres Hyundai i20 N Rally2 after a sizeable accident in the FIA European Rally Championship last weekend. Pulling out all the stops, Williams and co-driver Ross Whittock endured a difficult day but showed their hand with several top five times.
In BRC4, it was 2004 British Rally Champion and multiple American Rally Champion David Higgins who led for much of the day in his Fiesta R2 with Keith Jones alongside. In a shock return, Higgins was out for fun but sadly ended his day off the road, leaving Meghan O’Kane and Nikki Addison to scoop top class points.
Junior British Rally Championship
Like its BRC1 older brother, there was a new Junior BRC winner with Joseph Kelly scooping a sensational maiden win against stiff competition in his Peugeot 208 Rally4. Kelly would return to the series alongside the Stellantis Motorsport Rally Cup and stamped his mark by winning every single stage. He and co-driver James McBrearty were untouchable, building a useful cushion over Kyle McBride and Darren Mullen in their similar machine.
But McBride suffered a puncture and then a roll on the penultimate test, leaving Jack Brennan and Eoghan Doherty to claim second spot. It was a cruel ending for Sam Mason and James Seymour who were in reach of their maiden Junior podium, before their 208 Rally4 cried enough within sight of the final control, promoting Kalum Graffin and Mark McGeehan into third.
Natalie Robinson and Sam Collis made a last-minute decision to register, taking fourth on their debut.
Open Title
Scott MacBeth and Daniel Forsyth claimed their first Open Title win in their Skoda Fabia R5, beating Alex Vassallo and Harry Walshaw in their Fiesta Rally2. MacBeth was running in the top ten all day long, before a late penalty dropped him back but such was his lead, that he retained the category win. Alan Carmichael and Michael Gilbey took third on their return to the series in the Hyundai i20 N Rally2.
National Rally Title
A late registration from James Giddings and Aled Davies proved fruitful, taking their Mitsubishi Evo to victory in fine style. The Welsh pairing led from the off, and with Rob Cotton’s retirement, Chris Richmond Hand and Izzie Holman took second in their Starlet, whilst Ernie and Karen Graham rounded out the podium in their Mitsubishi Evo.
The Probite British Rally Championship returns to the asphalt next with the Borders Competitions Jim Clark Rally offering two days of closed-road action in the Scottish Borders at the end of May.
