Irish driver Keith Cronin was comfortably the top placed British championship driver at Ypres Rally, the first time the MSA BRC championship held a qualifying round outside the British Isles.
Keith Cronin took a commanding 1m18s win in the BRC component.Except for the moment when Swedish driver Fredrik Ahlin took the BRC lead on the Friday evening, just before he went off the road, Cronin led the entry all the way, finishing seventh overall.
Ahlin lost 10 minutes but recovered to finish sixth BRC finisher.
Other BRC drivers including David Bogie, Martin McCormack. Desi Henry, Chris Ingram and Cameron Davies ended their rally because of accident damage, but second placed Tom Cave retired with a fuel related problem.
Matt Edwards was second in an event dominated by Fiesta R5s.Ingram was leading the Junior category until two stages before the finish, so Callum Devine (Adam R2) won the class ahead of William Creighton's Peugeot 208 R2.
This was fourth round of the 2017 BRC series which is being led by third placed Osian Pryce, three points ahead of Ahlin, with Cronin third. It has been five years since Cronin's last BRC win.
All the 10 top placed BRC drivers before the event competed.
Prestone MSA British Rally Championship, Round 4 – Ypres Rally
1. Keith Cronin (IRL) / Mikie Galvin (IRL), Ford Fiesta R5, 2:25:00.3
2. Matt Edwards (GBR) / Darren Garrod (GBR), Ford Fiesta R5, +1:18.1
3. Osian Pryce (GBR) / Dale Furniss (GBR), Ford Fiesta R5, +2:29.9
4. Jamie Anderson (GBR) / Ross Whittock (GBR), Ford Fiesta R5, +5:55.6
5. Rhys Yates (GBR) / Carl Williamson (GBR), Ford Fiesta R5, +10:54.7
6. Fredrik Ahlin (SWE) / Torstein Eriksen (NOR), Skoda Fabia R5, +11:26.0
7. Callum Devine (IRL) / Keith Moriarty (IRL), Opel ADAM R2, +12:14.2
8. Alex Laffey (GBR) / Patrick Walsh (GBR), Ford Fiesta R5, +13:27.1
9. Thomas Preston (GBR) / Stuart Louden (GBR), Skoda Fabia R5, +16:37.3
10. James Slaughter (GBR) / Niall Burns (IRL), Ford Fiesta R5, +16:56.2
Prestone Motorsport News Junior British Rally Championship
1. Callum Devine (IRL) / Keith Moriarty (IRL), Opel ADAM R2
2. William Creighton (GBR) / Liam Regan (IRL), Peugeot 208 R2
- Martin Holmes
SUBSCRIBE BELOW TO READ THE FULL STORY
