Champions!

Well, what a weekend it's been! Two championships, in one year, in one day, on one stage!

Ulster was a landmark weekend for me and Gareth, Kick Energy Fiesta Sport Trophy UK and Ireland champions 2009, in my first season of trying. Could I ask for more than that?! It's been a roller-coaster season, and everyone has put in a huge effort to get us here, and right now I'm just relishing the moment. Two weeks ago, I was in a hospital bed, with a burst appendix, wondering how I could convince the doctor to allow me to drive a road car let alone a rally car! And yet, here we are, champions!
The whole rally ran faultlessly. Our recce was suburb, some of the best stages I've ever seen, the Pre-event test, the shakedown, everything was pointing towards a great weekend. We started the rally cautiously, and steadily improved our pace. We had a fantastic run over Fridays last loop of stages, but Kris was right on it too. Incredibly over the notorious Torr Head stage, we only beat Kris by just 0.8, and we both admitted to being on the doorhandles, great fun, but the risks were high.
We started leg 2 15 seconds behind Kris, and unfortunately for Kris, his rally fell apart in front of us on the start line. A sheared wheel hub bringing his rally to an end. Honestly, I was gutted to be denied the battle, as I was going to do everything in my power to get in front of him, and I'm sure it was going to be a great day. However, these things happen in rallying, and I had my mechanical trouble back at the start of the year at the Malcolm Wilson, so I know just how it feels.
With the pressure now on to finish, we did just that, still winning the Fiesta event, and doing enough to secure the two championships. We still had four stages of the International rally to complete, and we had some trouble. A front anti-roll bar linkage came off, making it feel like the Titanic to drive on some of the fast stuff! We got it fixed in service, and while jumping in to the car, it dawned on me, these were going to be my last two stages in the ST, as we are driving the R2 car for the remainder of the season. It was quite sad I must say, as I can remember the day we got the car, and the excitement of it all, and now I was about to drive it competitively for the final time. We finished the rally, and brought the car back to parc ferme, and breathed a sigh of relief. The first BRC rally we finished since Pirelli back in April, and the first Irish Tarmac championship round I finished since Galway, right the way back in January!
Now that things have settled down, I would like to thank the people who made this dream possible for me.
Firstly, Gareth my co-driver, for keeping me on the right track all year, Tom Gahan and his fantastic team, for putting in a huge effort all year, always behind me and thinking outside the box, friends and family that helped out in every way, I thank you all.
Finally, and most importantly, I would like to thank my Mum, Dad and Sister, for being there for me, for the last 8 or 9 months. There work goes unnoticed, but it is crucial to my success this year. They go well above their call of duty every day, in order for me to achieve my long term goal, and for this, I thank you.

You would have also noticed that the site is now fully operational again, with the inclusion of a gallery, and other new features to come. Keep a close eye here over the next few days and weeks.

We are now concentrating on the next round of the FSTi in Catylunya. This will be my first tarmac WRC round, and I am looking forward to the challenge, especially in a new car, the Fiesta R2. We are also on the lookout for sponsorship in these tough times. We are considering the option of going to Trackrod, the final round of the BRC, in a 4wd Group N car, but at the moment, the budget isn't there. We will do our best over the next few weeks, and see what we can do, but at the moment, it doesn't look too good.

I'm in the doctors today, and hopefully, he will give me the go ahead to get back training, as I can see the effects of not training coming to light, so the sooner I get back in the gym the better.

Once again, please continue to visit, there's still more to come!
Craig