William Creighton hailed his British Rally Championship-supported prize drive in WRC2 at WRC Rally RACC Catalunya – Rally de España as “one of the best weeks of rallying I’ve had”, the 24-year-old from Ireland recording a finish.

Creighton and co-driver Liam Regan won the opportunity to fly out to Spain and tackle the blisteringly fast asphalt rally as a result of their 2021 Junior British Rally Championship title-winning campaign.

The prize, made possible with the joint support of both the BRC and Hyundai, was a seat in the PCRS Rallysport squad, also making their debut in Rally2 on the world stage.

Creighton successfully navigated the 19 stages, and over 293 kilometers of special stages, over the four-day event, to register a finish – something the Moira-based driver was delighted to achieve.

“This has been one of best weeks of rallying I’ve had,” exclaims Creighton. “The car was a joy to drive and PCRS looked after Liam & myself very well.

“We got two days testing in the car at the start of the week which was important to let us get comfortable with the car. We got a puncture early in the rally but after this I was happy with the pace, being able to mix with regular WRC2 drivers.

“We were also able to do a lot of work on the data with the engineer in the team which highlighted areas of my driving that I need to improve on. I have no doubt that driving the four-wheel-drive Fiesta Rally3 this year made the step in to the Rally2 car much easier than if I was jumping straight from a Rally4 car, so it’s nice to see the benefits of the feeder categories.

“I must say a huge thanks to Hyundai Motorsport and the BRC for giving me this opportunity – it has been fantastic.”

The BRC has long since earned a reputation as a proving ground for the stars of the future, including WRC stars Elfyn Evans, Craig Breen and, at a junior level, Creighton’s compatriot and 2019 Junior Champion Josh McErlean, now a regular fixture with Hyundai at WRC2 level.

The 2022 Junior BRC champions, Eamonn Kelly and Conor Mohan, will receive an equivalent opportunity during the 2023 season.