Junior Winner Crealey Receives Prize

15-year old Ben Crealey from Portadown received his prize for winning the 2012 Junior 1000 Rally Challenge Ireland last week, when he visited M-Sport for an experience he is unlikely to forget for a long time.

The first part of the day saw Ben join M-Sport for a test at Carlisle Airport. He was then introduced to members of the team, in particular regular British Rally Championship contender Steve Røkland from Norway, who showed him around a Fiesta R1.

Ben was given the opportunity to drive the 1600cc machine and quickly got to grips with its handling in the extremely slippery conditions. After spending over 30-minutes in the car, it was apparent that he was enjoying the opportunity and many of the onlookers commented on the teenager’s excellent performance.

After a quick de-brief, Ben was strapped into a Fiesta WRC with Matthew Wilson at the wheel, who then took him around the same course. The World Rally Championship contender clearly demonstrated the differences between the two Fiestas and showed just what can be achieved if someone starts driving in competitive conditions from an early age.

Following the morning’s activity on the airfield, Ben was then taken to M-Sport’s headquarters at Dovenby Hall, where he was given a guided tour of the workshops. Following this once in a lifetime trip, Ben said:

“This has been a fantastic day. It’s the perfect prize for winning a Junior championship, as I got to try out the type of car I am likely to drive when I reach 17. I also experienced what it’s like in a WRC car, which really encourages you to work hard to achieve the ultimate goal in the sport. Although driving a Formula 1000 car will never be the same again, it’s so important to compete in a proper junior championship if you want to make a career in rallying. I’m already looking forward to next year.”

2012 saw the first ever season for the Junior 1000 Rally Challenge Ireland, a series specifically for drivers aged between 14 and 17. Based on the Junior 1000 campaigns currently running in England, Wales and Scotland, it features cars of no more than 1000cc that have been modified for safety rather than performance.

Driving his Nissan Micra, Ben won the first two of this season’s five rounds and finished second on the remaining three. Other winners included Adam Bustard from Castlederg who won round three driving a Chevrolet Spark and Kyle White from Belfast who won rounds four and five driving a Peugeot 107. A total of seven drivers registered in 2012 and all rallies ran as single venue events in Northern Ireland.