A marathon effort for a full weekend of action
After realising the dream of winning the Ypres Rally, sleep and dreaming were off the menu for Craig Breen as he drove through the night to make a stunning debut at the Titans RX event in France.
Breen departed Ypres at 0300hrs and completed the 280mile journey west to make signing on at Essay at 0730. He then stepped aboard his 600bhp Pantera RX6 for the first time, went third quickest in his first heat and won the second. He progressed to the semi-final, won that, but lost out in a first corner tussle in the final, finishing fourth.
“By the end of that event,
I was absolutely done for,” said Breen. “Once I’d done the press conference and the anti-doping and everything it was about 0300hrs, so we just jumped in the car and drove.
“When I say I drove through the night, actually Sean [Hassett, Breen’s PR man] drove and I managed to get a bit of sleep in the car – but it wasn’t really the ideal preparation for my first go in a rallycross car. I really enjoyed it though, it was one heck of a way to wake up!”
Breen was also delighted with his Ypres win.
“Ypres is one of the big Tarmac rallies in Europe,” he said. “It’s right up there with the Circuit and Sanremo and things like that. To win that rally was another fantastic box ticked. At the same time, I learned a lot there. Once Kevin [Abbring] had his puncture on Friday, it was a little bit about managing the advantage.
“In the past, I’ve been guilty of backing off a bit too much or going the other way and going too quick while trying to manage the gap – this time I found a pace I felt comfortable with and was able to stick with it. It was a good education.
“But when I got home and got a good night’s sleep, I woke up with a smile knowing the preparation for the next event starts immediately – and that next event’s Rally Finland with the Hyundai team. Actually, it’s
Rally Estonia, but you know what I mean!”