William Creighton will aim to become the first driver from Northern Ireland to etch his name on the Probite British Rally Championship (BRC) trophy at Sunday’s Cambrian Rally title decider.
The 26-year-old — who has dovetailed appearances in the national competition with outings in the World Rally Championship’s WRC2 support series — is striving to join a who’s who of previous winners that includes Ari Vatanen, Russell Brookes, Colin McRae, Elfyn Evans and Adrien Fourmaux.
Creighton’s consistency — and a first victory of the campaign with co-driver Liam Regan on last month’s Rali Ceredigion — means he currently tops the competition’s standings from Chris Ingram (Toyota GR Yaris Rally2).
After five rounds, the pair are separated by a single point, with Keith Cronin (Ford Fiesta Rally2) and Osian Pryce (Ford Fiesta Rally2) still in with a mathematical shout should both hit trouble.
Sunday’s decider in the north of Wales will comprise seven stages totalling 60 competitive miles, and for Creighton the job in hand is simple. To be assured of glory, even with his points-boosting Joker to hand, he must come out on top should Ingram finish in second or third place.
He has encouraging history when it comes to performing under pressure; back in 2021, he sealed the Junior British Rally title and last year he triumphed in the one-make FIA Junior World Rally Championship.
“Trying to win the Junior World title in Greece last year came with quite a bit of pressure, so we have been in this situation before which should stand us in good stead,” said Creighton.
“It is a hard task to try and win any title, so our focus is about preparing well as we normally do.
“The British Rally Championship is a prestigious title, and it would mean a lot to add my name to the list of drivers that have won it before.
“About seven years ago, we travelled to our first Junior BRC event and at the time it was a big deal for us to make the journey and compete in the Championship, so to be competing at the top level in a Rally2 car with M-Sport and the Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy is quite surreal when I start to think about it,” he added.
Although last week’s Central European Rally outing was on asphalt, Creighton says any seat time could well prove decisive as he goes up against the might of Ingram, Cronin and Pryce.
To help him make the transition back to gravel for the Llandudno-based Cambrian Rally, he spent time at M-Sport’s private Greystoke Forest Complex earlier this week to dial himself back in to driving on the loose.
“It is nice to come this rally directly off the back of a World Rally Championship event,” he said.
“It helps keep you sharp when you come to the recce, which is such a vital part of any rally we do.
“Had you told me at the start of the year that I would be going to the final event with an opportunity to win the title, I would have been surprised, given the fact this is our first full year doing Rally2, and how strong the competition in the Championship is.
“We have learned a lot this year. Now it is all about pulling everything together for this final rally in Wales. It has been a great season, so I would like to hope we can end it on a high.”