Creighton To Tackle Iconic Welsh Stages

Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy driver William Creighton will get his first taste of the M-Sport Ford Fiesta Rally2 on gravel this weekend [13 April], as he tackles the second round of the Probite British Rally Championship, the Rallynuts Severn Valley Stages.

Creighton and co-driver Liam Regan have enjoyed a sensational run of form since stepping into Rally2 machinery. After a solid outing at Rally Sweden, part of their FIA World Rally Championship WRC2 campaign the pairing would head home, tackling the West Cork International Rally where they more than held their own against the domestic experts to take third overall.

Just a week later, they would head to Lancashire to begin their BRC campaign and repeated a podium result by scooping a fantastic second overall at a tricky Legend Fires North West Stages.

Now, the BRC heads onto the gravel for the first time this season as legendary stages such as Myherin, Sweet Lamb and Hafren make up the 62 miles of top-class forestry tests. Those iconic gravel tracks have witnessed many World Rally Championship fights in the past, made famous by Wales Rally GB over the decades and whilst titles have been won, they have also been cruelly taken away across the daunting high-speed stages.

Creighton is eager to sample the Fiesta Rally2 on a loose surface after a positive run on the asphalt.

“We have had a few enjoyable events on tar and it's fair to say we got everything we needed to out of our Irish and BRC outings” says Creighton.

“It's been a nice transition and the BRC calendar now allows us to make that next step in the Fiesta and sample the gravel. We want to get a good feeling for the car and find out what we expect from it, and it will be important to try and get to grips quickly.

“The Fiesta is definitely a proven package and that has been highlighted by what Adrien [Fourmaux, WRC driver] and the M-Sport team have achieved with it recently so it will be down to me to dial myself in the best I can.”

After second place on the season opener, the Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy driver finds himself in a good position in the championship but understands the Severn Valley Stages is a tougher prospect than the first round.

“This will actually be my first gravel event in the UK in a four-wheel-drive but I don’t think I could pick better stages for it” he says.

“The stages are famous across the world and that’s for good reason. The pace out front will be fast from the start as the other drivers have more experience on these roads than I do, so it’s a tough weekend ahead. But learning in this environment and making that next step is an important process in learning the Fiesta and doing it the right way will only help us achieve our goals faster.

“In terms of our WRC outlook, Croatia is up next [18-21 April] and that’s on asphalt but after that, it’s a run of gravel so this weekend will help us across the board.”

You can follow William's progress throughout his career by following him on his social media channels

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