Retson steps up to podium

Rally ace Finlay Retson secured a confidenceboosting second place at the Nicky Grist Stages to close in on the Motorsport UK Junior British Rally Championship lead.

The 21-year-old from Blairgowrie and Welsh co-driver Rhys Stoneman steered his Ford Fiesta Rally4 across the world-class Welsh forest stages on July 10 to grab a last-stage move up the leaderboard, meaning he now lies just three points shy of the lead of the prestigious British series after two rounds.

The former Blairgowrie High School pupil said:“I was delighted to be back on the Junior BRC podium again.

“We had a tough opening round of the season at Oulton Park but knew that we were capable of doing better.

“Rhys and I had a gameplan for this event and stuck to it, making sure we got faster as the day progressed and as the confidence grew. To take second place on that final stage was fantastic – it’s great to be back on the podium again.”

Retson has tackled the British Championship since 2018, moving from the Cadet series into the

Junior category the following year. His success has seen him become a Motorsport UK – Team UK squad member for the second year.

The gravel of the recent Nicky Grist Stages offered the perfect opportunity for him to shine further.

And it was not long before Retson was on the pace of the front-runners, storming into third place by the second stage of the rally.

A blistering equalfastest time on the final stage saw him snatch second place and further cement his Junior BRC title aspirations.

Retson added:“It was a tough rally and, although it was a short one, there was no room for error.

“Dropping over 20 seconds on the fourth stage gave us some work to do so I’m delighted with second and that offers us a great opportunity heading to the next round which is arguably my home event.

“I have experience of those stages so I am feeling confident we can shine and continue to improve this season.”

The third round of the series heads to Banchory for the Grampian Forest Rally in August.