British rally champion William Creighton is preparing for what he calls the "right step" in his career as he moves up to compete in the European Rally Championship this season. The 28-year-old, who secured the British title last year with two wins and two additional podium finishes, sees this transition as an exciting challenge at a higher level of motorsport.
"It's a very high level of the sport, so it's going to be a big challenge," Creighton remarked. "We wanted to use the British Rally Championship as an opportunity to get that title and then move back into European events, and that's worked quite well."
Creighton, a former Junior British and World champion, will partner with co-driver Liam Regan under the Stellantis Motorsport banner. Their season begins in Andalucia, Spain, from April 17-19, driving a Citroen C3 before switching to a Lancia mid-season, all on Michelin tyres. The championship schedule includes rallies in Sweden, Rome, Poland, the Czech Republic, Wales, and Portugal, concluding in October.
Reflecting on the opportunity, Creighton added, "We've got really good brands with a huge heritage of success within the sport. Hopefully we can feed off all of those people and use it to our advantage. Just to be in the ERC to begin with is really exciting."
In preparation, Creighton recently competed in Rallye da Llana, finishing seventh. While his immediate focus is on the ERC, he has long-term aspirations to return to the world stage, noting the increasing youth at the top levels of rallying. "The guys at the top level of the sport are getting younger and younger, so you need to strike while you can," he said. "We've got this opportunity now, we'll try and make the most of it."
The ERC entry also features other notable drivers from Northern Ireland, including Irish Tarmac Rally champion Callum Devine and ERC regular Phillip Allen, who will compete in a Toyota GR Yaris with co-driver Craig Drew.