Boost puts rally ace on track for champs
Rally ace Finlay Retson secured a confidence-boosting 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 worldclass 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 in 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 Rally Championship since 2018, moving from the Cadet series into the Junior category the following year.
His success both on and off the stages has illustrated progression in the sport and has seen him become a Motorsport UK – Team UK squad member for the second successive year.
Retson endured a mixed 2019 season in the Junior BRC, but two podium spots against some experienced Juniors saw him take second place in the Fiesta Trophy.
Finishing runner-up at the opening round of 2020 was a welcome boost to his season’s chances before Covid-19 halted the campaign in its tracks.
But with the lure of the coveted title and a Hyundai Motorsport Customer Racing i20 N Rally2 prize drive on a round of the World Rally Championship in 2022 on offer for the winner, Retson was eager to return to the series to prove his worth against some of the fastest Juniors in the country.
The opening round of the series saw a bumper British Rally Championship entry head to Cheshire and the asphalt of the Oulton Park Race Circuit.
Using its perimeter and access roads, Retson was only able to finish just outside the podium in fourth.
The gravel of the recent Nicky Grist Stages offered the perfect comeback opportunity.
And it wasn’t long before Retson was on the pace of the front-runners, storming into third place by the second stage of the rally.
Despite a blip on the longest stage when he briefly slid off the road, Retson continued to punch in inspiring stage times and, by the penultimate test, had almost assured a podium spot.
A blistering equal-fastest time on the final stage of the rally saw him snatch second place and further cement his Junior BRC title aspirations.
Retson explained: “It was a tough rally and, although it was a short one, there was certainly no room for error.
“Dropping over 20 seconds on the fourth stage gave us some work to do on the last afternoon 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 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.