Latest news with #MeirionEvans
Belfast Telegraph
07-08-2025
- Automotive
- Belfast Telegraph
William Creighton ready to pull out all the stops to secure Grampian Forest title
The UK competition makes its return after a short summer break, with Creighton and his Castrol MEM Rally team-mate Meirion Evans provisionally tied at the top of the standings. Creighton won the opening East Riding Stages in February and completed April's Carlisle Stages in second to keep his scoreboard ticking over before family commitments meant he had to sit out the Jim Clark Rally with Liam Regan and nominate it as a dropped score. Joining them on the Grampian entry list is round two winner Romet Jürgenson and former Scottish Rally champion Garry Pearson, with both using M-Sport's Ford Fiesta Rally2 car. 'We are all looking forward to the Grampian,' said Creighton, whose car – like every other on the entry list – will carry commemorative sun strips and decals in tribute to the late Dai Roberts, who succumbed to injuries sustained while competing on May's Jim Clark Rally. 'The rally has great stages that offer a bit of everything and, although this year's event will use a much different layout compared to last season, we have good experience with the characteristics of these roads, so that should help us.' Creighton banked some all-important seat time at the non-championship counting Nicky Grist Stages last month and held on to win the gravel fixture by less than three seconds having led it from the opening stage. In soaring temperatures that accelerated tyre wear, he recorded a second win of the season aboard his Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 despite dropping more than 10 seconds on the deciding test to Evans. 'We have worked hard between events with the team, and the Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy, to try and understand where we can improve,' revealed the 27-year-old Moira man. 'Events like the Nicky Grist Stages have helped us continue to learn how to get the most from the Yaris and develop my own performance on gravel. 'The competition in the British Rally Championship is incredibly tight, so it is all about fine margins. We will do everything we can to fight for another strong result at the Grampian this weekend.' Based in Banchory, the Grampian Forest Rally gets underway on Friday afternoon with the first of two stages, including a new Spectator Special, followed by a further eight on Saturday that will incorporate fast and flowing forest roads 15 miles west of Aberdeen.
BBC News
22-06-2025
- Automotive
- BBC News
Devine wins third Donegal International Rally in a row
Callum Devine came through a demanding Donegal International Rally to win the event for a third year in a row. The 2023 Irish Tarmac Rally champion won the three-day event - one of the most famous rallies in Europe - alongside co-driver Noel O'Sullivan by 20.5 seconds ahead of Wales' Meirion Evans, while local driver David Kelly was third. Skoda driver Devine, 31, led after Friday's six stages but a gruelling Saturday saw a number of big names drop out of contention. European Rally Championship driver Jon Armstrong posted a number of fastest stage times and was challenging Devine on Saturday's first loop but a differential problem on his Ford Fiesta dropped him out of contention, and a second mechanical issue halted his recovery later in the day. Two time ERC champion Hayden Paddon, a late entry for the rally from New Zealand, was in the mix for victory but rolled out on Saturday's penultimate stage. The final stage on Saturday claimed British Rally Championship title challenger William Creighton, who slid off the road with a slow puncture and decided to retire his Toyota Yaris. The various issues for front runners took away from what could have been a titanic battle for the win in the Donegal hills as just 20 seconds separated Devine, Creighton, Evans and Paddon after 12 as his rivals faltered, Devine, who himself battled handbrake issues, kept his cool to win the rally for the third consecutive and co-driver Ger Conway were a comfortable second and, despite his issues, Armstrong and co-driver Shane Byrne had moved back into podium contention but the Fermanagh driver retired after an off on the final promoted Kelly and navigator Arthur Kierans onto the final step of the podium for the second year in a row.
