The 2025 Probite British Rally Championship roared to life with the East Riding Stages Rally on February 23, introducing new crews to new cars from the previous season. Notably, William Creighton and co-driver Liam Regan delivered a commanding performance, steering their Michelin-backed Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 to a decisive victory for the Castrol MEM Rally Team. The pair coming in over 23 seconds ahead of Keith Cronin and Mikie Galvin, with James Williams and Ross Whittock rounding out the podium just ten seconds further back.
A New Era with the Toyota GR Yaris Rally2
Creighton's move to the Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 in partnership with the Castrol MEM Rally Team signifies possibly their best chance to the title given how such a strong package the MEM team are. As the replacement for last years title winner Chris Ingram, the duo clinched seven out of ten stage wins. Reflecting on this achievement, Creighton expressed his astonishment at the rapid success with the new vehicle, especially given the limited testing prior to the event.
“It’s our first rally in the car and we hadn’t done so much [in the Yaris] before the event and with such tricky conditions today, it’s just felt good.
“I’m really excited for what’s to come! A huge thanks to Liam for doing a great job on the notes today and keeping me on the straight and narrow. Thanks also to all the sponsors on the car, Castrol – everybody seems to have loved the livery! And of course, thank you as always to Motorsport Ireland Academy; without them, we wouldn’t be here.
“I’m just really, really happy, I honestly didn’t know what to expect, how long it was going to take us to gain that confidence with the car. Fair play to Toyota & the guys who built this car because it’s some bit of kit!”
Shuffling the Deck: Driver and Vehicle Changes
The 2025 season witnessed several notable changes in driver-team alignments:
Keith Cronin and Mikie Galvin: Transitioned to the Citroën C3 Rally2 after years with the Fiesta, securing a commendable second-place finish in their debut with the new car.
James Williams and Ross Whittock: Maintained their collaboration with MRF Tyres but switched to the latest Hyundai i20N Rally2, achieving a strong third-place podium finish.
Max McRae and Cameron Fair: Embarked on their Citroën C3 Rally2 debut, showcasing competitive pace before an unfortunate off-road incident curtailed their rally.
Our first look at 2025 was on the Coom Hill stage, SS2. On a stage noted for it's tricky conditions at the best of times, most of the crews clearly had the stage marked for caution. At 'Sturdy's corner', the top crews chose to take it easy through the polluted section under the trees. Still the sight of modern R2 cars through is always a pleasure. One that could only perhaps be topped by the Toyota Celica of Jonny Milner, returning for his home round. The only slip coming from Geoff Dean in his BMW 325i, when he lost the rear end. No damage done he was on his way.
For the opening 4 stages, Cronin started cautiously but would also need to get used to his new wheels after swapping to the Race & Rally Citroen C3 Rally Team for this season and took an early fifth place. James Ford and Neil Shanks were the first to fall foul of the conditions, ending their rally on the first stage after parking their Citroen C3 Rally2 in a ditch after a high-speed spin. But it was the fourth stage that bit the hardest, with both Pearson and McRae suffering.
Pearson got off lightly, hitting a bank and losing over eight seconds dropping him to fourth. McRae faired much worse, getting out of shape on a high-speed section, he clipped a bale which sent the car off the road. In the impact, McRae injured his wrist and after getting it checked over lunch, he decided to retire from the rally.
Creighton has settled into his new office with ease, holding a commanding lead by mid day service. Cronin too has stepped up the pace, keeping him in touch. James Williams held third, leading the Asphalt Championship.
Before the afternoon loop got under way, there was first the matter of a double run through the Westwood Super Special. Unfortunately it marked the end of the road for fan favourite, Jonny Milner. Milner not even getting the chance when the alternator of his Celica decided to call it a day, retiring him from the event.
As the crews set off for the afternoon loop, the weather drew in bringing rain, winds and some consistency on the stages. Meirion Evans and Dale Furniss briefly claimed third spot in their Toyota, but Williams instantly responded to gain the place back on the seventh test. That stage would sadly claim Pearson who would leave the road after getting caught out under braking. However, positions remained unchanged over the closing stages, and Creighton returned a measured drive to round out his weekend. A rally win is always special but claiming his first BRC win after a season of second places in 2024, was a relief for the Irishman.
Cronin was equally pleased to secure second overall in his debut with the C3 Rally2. After several years running a Fiesta, the transition has been a positive start to his 2025 season with the promise of "more to come" from the four-time BRC champion.
Conversely, third-place finisher Williams emphasized that his aim this season is to achieve victories, and he left the final stage feeling somewhat disappointed for not challenging Creighton more. Evans was just shy of the podium, missing fourth overall by a little over six seconds, while Callum Black and Jack Morton completed the top five in their Fiesta Rally2. Black experienced a slow start to the day due to setup and tire choices, but he thrived once the rain began, securing valuable points for the newly formed UCRC China Rally Team.
Looking Ahead
With the 2025 British Rally Championship off to a thrilling start, we now look forward to the Carlisle Stages on 12 April, replacing the Severn Valley Rally after its forced cancellation due to local conditions in the Welsh forests.
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