Motorsport News

CREIGHTON STICKS WITH R2

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Prestone Motorsport News Junior British Rally Championsh­ip frontrunne­r William Creighton has confirmed he has no plans to switch classes after making his R5 debut on the Tyrone Stages Rally earlier this month.

Creighton was given the opportunit­y to drive a Citroen DS3 R5 on the sealed surface event after coming to an agreement with the car’s owners – David Greer Motorsport – and Race and Rally.

The former UK Young Rally Driver of the Year recorded a string of top three stage times in the dry to finish second overall, despite having had limited seat time in the French car beforehand.

“I got asked if I would like to drive the car, I said yes, and DGM and Race and Rally put the whole thing together for me,” he told

Motorsport News. “At the minute it is purely a one-off for me. What I found interestin­g was the similariti­es that exist between the Peugeot R2 I drive and the R5 car. The main difference­s are obviously the speed, the grip and power. It’s a beast!

“The chance to compete in an R5 and get some experience of what they are like was a good one but it was a bit for fun at the end of a hard season in the British Championsh­ip.”

Creighton confirmed that he will return to the Junior British Rally Championsh­ip in 2019. This year he was a distant fourth to eventual winner Steve Rokland, with his Ypres crash not helping. He had moved into the lead of the R2 field before going into a ditch with the finish line in sight.

“The plan is to do another season in an R2 car in the JBRC,” he said. “After what we achieved in 2017, this year wasn’t great. The cancellati­on of two rounds didn’t do much for our cause this year, either. Once we get the budget together, we will try and win it.”

 ?? Photos: William Neill, Lightning House, Martin Walsh ?? Creighton quick in R5
Photos: William Neill, Lightning House, Martin Walsh Creighton quick in R5

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