William Creighton will contest the second round of the Irish Tarmac Rally Championship, the West Cork Rally in an M-Sport Fiesta Rally2 supported by the Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy
The Junior World Rally Champion heads to Clonakilty fresh from an impressive performance at the World Rally Championship Rally Sweden
Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy driver aims for seat time to build experience for his WRC2 campaign
Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy driver William Creighton is set to contest the second round of the Irish Tarmac Rally Championship, the West Cork Rally [15-17 March] in an M-Sport Fiesta Rally2.
Creighton, who only last week completed his first event in his FIA World Rally Championship WRC2 campaign at Rally Sweden, will now head for Clonakilty in Ireland to tackle the three-day closed road event in a bid to gain experience on a sealed surface in the Fiesta Rally2.
The flagship event fits perfectly within his WRC2 programme and offers the opportunity to sample the M-Sport run machine on asphalt for the first time, having spent the last few weeks preparing for the ice and snow of Sweden.
Now, the reigning Junior World Rally Champion and co-driver Liam Regan returns to their roots and head for an event in which they have contested five times previously, and Creighton is delighted to add the event to his 2024 plans.
“It was a very enjoyable weekend at Rally Sweden, driving the Fiesta flat out between the snowbanks is an amazing sensation, but contesting an event back home is also just as exciting for me” he explains.
“I've been very fortunate to compete on a number of rallies across Europe in the last few years at WRC level but there is something really special about coming home to rally. This will be my first time competing at an ITRC event in a top category car and there is a huge buzz about the series with the level of competition this year, so I have no doubt it's going to be an enjoyable St. Patrick’s weekend. The support on the stages is always amazing and it's great to be able to catch up with all the people that have been supporting me on my Junior WRC journey over the years.”
But it's not just about adding a sixth event tally to his West Cork experience, there is a serious side to his entry into the event.
“Together with the Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy, we have a fantastic WRC2 programme lined up in the M-Sport Fiesta Rally2. The WRC2 category is extremely competitive and with our next championship event taking place on asphalt in Croatia, West Cork provides a fantastic opportunity to get our first kilometres on tarmac in the car. The event is tough and it's going to be a hugely competitive three days of rallying amongst the ITRC regulars, but it's valuable seat time I`ll be aiming for and using it as an extended test session towards the rest of the season”.
Creighton’s experience of the event stretches as far back as 2016 behind the wheel of an R2, before tackling the event last year in his Fiesta Rally3, finishing a staggering ninth overall. This will be his first outing in a Rally2 on closed roads in Ireland.
Increased to a three-day event for 2024 and including night stages, the West Cork Rally kicks off on Friday afternoon, with two full days following on Saturday and Sunday.
