JUNIOR World Rally champion William Creighton says he is currently putting plans in place that should allow him and co-driver Liam Regan to make the first of their arrive-and-drive WRC2 outings at February’s Rally Sweden.
Creighton made sure the lucrative, seven-figure package would be returning back to his Co Down home in Moira by completing the final round of the JWRC –September’s EKO Acropolis Rally Greece – fifth in class.
In doing so, the 26-year-old became the first Irishman since the late Craig Breen back in 2011 to conquer the one-make Ford Fiesta series in a campaign that delivered a brace of wins, with Sweden the first of these.
He also visited the top step of the podium at June’s Rally Italia Sardegna and recorded a raft of quickest stage times to pick up an extra 34 bonus points to deny his Paraguayan rival, Diego Dominguez.
As well as having a Ford Fiesta Rally2 fully prepared by M-Sport at his disposal in 2024, the prize also includes a pre-event test session to help him get up to speed in the build-up to his preferred rallies, and 200 various compound tyres that are supplied courtesy of Italian manufacturer, Pirelli.
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“It is a big step up – we know that it is going to be tough – but that is exactly what we are trying to do in the WRC2 next year,” admitted Creighton, whose feats in the JWRC were celebrated at Motorsport Ireland’s annual end-of-season awards dinner in Dublin last week where he collected the Manley Memorial Trophy for being picked as their International Driver of the Year for 2023.
“It has been a difficult journey to finally get to WRC2 but now that we are, it means that we can pitch ourselves against the best drivers in the World Rally Championship’s main support series.
“It’s been brilliant to do it with Liam, too. Greece was our 97th rally together – I don’t think there too many crews who can say that, so I owe him a big thanks for continuing to jump in with me.
“The hope is that we can make our first appearance at Rally Sweden in February,” he added.
“We have had a couple of runs there in the past and we managed to win there earlier this year, so we are really looking forward to going back to Sweden. The aim, as always, is to give our very best.”
Rally2 is not a formula that is entirely alien to Creighton, who has made two appearances in the class, albeit at the wheel of Hyundai Motorsport’s i20 N and not M-Sport’s Ford Fiesta supermini.
These came at Rally Spain towards the end of the 2022 season – another prize drive he earned by triumphing in the previous year’s Junior British Championship – and January’s Monte Carlo Rally with support from Motorsport Ireland.