MI Rally Academy Star Creighton to Tackle the Monte!

FIA Junior World Rally Championship frontrunner William Creighton will contest the prestigious Rallye Monte Carlo next month [19-21 January 2023], driving a PCRS Rallysport run Hyundai i20 N Rally2, backed by the Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy.

The twenty-four-year-old from Moira in Co. Down will tackle his second-ever FIA World Rally Championship event in Rally2 machinery, having secured a sensational result at WRC Rally RACC Catalunya – Rally de España in October in the Hyundai, his prize for winning the 2021 Junior British Rally Championship.

Despite a puncture, Creighton and co-driver Liam Regan stormed to a top thirty result and secured first non-priority crew in their WRC Rally2 debut, further enhancing a positive season in the Junior WRC which saw them take two podiums during their campaign. Now, the progressive driver will head for the oldest and toughest event in the WRC calendar whilst he finalises his plans for the 2023 season.

“I really didn’t think anything could top my WRC Spain prize drive in the Hyundai,” he says. “But to have the opportunity to be heading to the most famous rally in the world behind the wheel of a Rally2 car is the stuff dreams are made of. Everyone knows Rallye Monte Carlo, whether you have an interest in the sport or not and it’s such a privilege to be tackling this iconic event with the support and backing of the Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy.”

Creighton has enjoyed a busy two seasons in the sport, with an assault on the Junior British Rally Championship and Junior World Rally Championship in 2021. Victory in the British series offered him his prize drive in Spain in October, but he would also go on to contest the JWRC once again this year as the series shifted into Rally3 machinery. That switch undoubtedly helped him in his transition to the Rally2 Hyundai, trading top-fifteen times with some of the most talented up-and-coming drivers in the world in the hotly contested WRC2 category of the world series. That experience will be called upon next month as he returns to the i20 N and arguably one of the most pivotal opportunities in his career.

“I am in no doubt whatsoever that Rallye Monte Carlo will be the most arduous and unpredictable event I`ve ever contested, but it’s one I’ve always wanted to compete on. The stages themselves are amazing, but when you add in the sub-zero temperatures, snow, ice, and everything in between, you know you have to call on everything you have ever learnt to even make it to the end of the stage. I’m hugely indebted to the Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy for helping make this happen and of course for their unrivalled support network throughout the event which will be essential to have a chance of a result of any sort. It’s a huge opportunity in my career, and I`m grabbing it with both hands”.

You can follow William’s progress throughout his career by following him on his social media channels: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and TikTok

 Header Image: William in action at WRC Rally Spain in a Hyundai i20 N Rally2
Second Image: William head shot (credit Junior WRC)