William Creighton wasted no time getting up to speed with his new car as he steered it to a resounding victory at the opening round of the Probite British Rally Championship in Yorkshire.
It was the perfect way for the Moira man to begin his title quest in the series alongside co-driving team-mate Liam Regan as they aim to go one better in 2025 and clinch the title.
Things could not have gone any better on Sunday’s East Riding Stages Rally in northern England for the 27-year-old Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy-backed driver despite having to learn much about his new surroundings – the Castrol MEM Rally Team – and car in Toyota Gazoo Racing’s Rally2-specification Yaris.
On drying roads, Creighton punched in quickest times on the morning loop’s four stages to end it 18.7 seconds in front of the Citroen of quadruple British champion Keith Cronin and another 2.1 secs clear of the Hyundai i20 N Rally2 of Englishman James Williams.
Tyre choice for the second loop proved something of a lottery for the top crews due to the changing weather – but Creighton appeared happy with his choice of Michelin rubber as he continued to hammer home his advantage, extending his run of scratch times to five on the re-run of the short, sharp ‘Westwood’ spectator stage, the midpoint of the fixture.
With the experience to play it smart as road conditions turned increasingly slippery, the former FIA Junior World Rally champion again set the pace on three of the remaining four speed tests to conclude the day holding a sizeable 23.8-second cushion over Cronin.
William Creighton (right) and Liam Regan celebrate their British Rally Championship opening-round victory
“I really did not expect it,” was Creighton’s response when asked if he expected the rally to prove so straightforward. “Coming into a rally first time out in a new car with conditions as tricky as they were, especially in the afternoon, the simple answer is I didn’t know how I would get on.
“When we started the BRC last year, we had a few events in the Fiesta under our belt and we were coming in hot – but this time around, it was the polar opposite.
“It is a great base to work off now going into the rest of the season, and fair play to the guys at Toyota because they have built a fantastic bit of kit and there is bound to be speed because I feel we’re only getting started. I’m really looking forward to the next one.”
Williams rounded out the podium places in third with Creighton’s team-mate and former Galway and Ulster Rally winner Meirion Evans fourth, while Callum Black secured fifth.
In the Junior British Rally Championship, Kyle McBride got the better of his front-wheel-drive rivals by scoring maximum points by nearly 10 seconds from Craig Rahill.