Hi All,
Two more weekends sucess followed our result in Finland. Firstly, we travelled to Sweden, to take part in the selection rally for the Pirelli Star Driver Shootout. From four, the fastest two drivers got through to the World Final Shootout. We finished second to Sweden, and earned our place. So we are now heading to the final, however the date and location has no been revealed. I am however working hard on my fitness, and other aspects at the moment.
We returned back home to Ireland at the weekend, for the International Rally of Northern Ireland. It was a rally that treated me well last year, as this was where we wrapped up the Irish and UK Fiesta Sport Trophy Titles. Again, a good recce, similar stages to last year. The rally started midday on Friday, and we led from the second stage, right the way into the overnight halt, and into leg 2. Keith Cronin and Gwyndaff Evans, both fell into difficulties, and left me to a clear run to the finish (for a change!). We ended up winning the rally by a minute and a half, and I had finally won my first rally, made more special by the fact it was an International Rally. The feeling of getting the first one out of the way, was amazing. We had worked hard all year long, and battled cruel luck, but finally we had done something I had dreamed of for so long....and now I want more!
At the moment, I'm training hard for the Shootout, and hoping that luck stays on my side!
All the best,
Craig
Thursday 26 August 2010
Wednesday 4 August 2010
Flying in Finland!
Hi all,
What a weekend in Finland it was! 19th overall, and 9th S2000 car home. It was a tremendous experience, and I've learned more in a week than I learned in my relatively short career to date. It was great to have an event that ran so smooth with not so much as one problem. We tested on the Monday, and found an excellent setup, and spent the day at an excellent piece of road, which was very Representative of the rally. Recce started Tuesday morning, and continued until Wednesday evening. We decided to make new notes this year, although we had notes from last year, we felt starting from scratch would be better. On Thursday night the rally started with the Super Special stage, we ended the day 34th overall. Friday started early, and 13 hours in the car lay ahead. We started slowly and chipped away all day with no problems, and we ended the day 24th overall. Another tough day on Saturday awaited us, and we really started to make progress as the day went on. At the end of the event, we were about 15-20 seconds a stage away from the fastest S2000 runners, and mixing it with the middle of the SWRC pack. This was way more than I expected, and I was absolutely chuffed when we finished. I'd like to thank everyone involved in getting us there, especially after the accident in Donegal. It was just what we needed to get back on form, and get the confidence up again. And confidence is what I need for when I travel to Sweden next week, for the first stage of the Pirelli Star Driver shootout. Luckily, I've been selected to represent Ireland by the MSI, at the Snapphane Rally in Sweden. It's shaping up to be an exciting prospect indeed, and I'll let you know more as the event draws closer!
All the best
Craig
What a weekend in Finland it was! 19th overall, and 9th S2000 car home. It was a tremendous experience, and I've learned more in a week than I learned in my relatively short career to date. It was great to have an event that ran so smooth with not so much as one problem. We tested on the Monday, and found an excellent setup, and spent the day at an excellent piece of road, which was very Representative of the rally. Recce started Tuesday morning, and continued until Wednesday evening. We decided to make new notes this year, although we had notes from last year, we felt starting from scratch would be better. On Thursday night the rally started with the Super Special stage, we ended the day 34th overall. Friday started early, and 13 hours in the car lay ahead. We started slowly and chipped away all day with no problems, and we ended the day 24th overall. Another tough day on Saturday awaited us, and we really started to make progress as the day went on. At the end of the event, we were about 15-20 seconds a stage away from the fastest S2000 runners, and mixing it with the middle of the SWRC pack. This was way more than I expected, and I was absolutely chuffed when we finished. I'd like to thank everyone involved in getting us there, especially after the accident in Donegal. It was just what we needed to get back on form, and get the confidence up again. And confidence is what I need for when I travel to Sweden next week, for the first stage of the Pirelli Star Driver shootout. Luckily, I've been selected to represent Ireland by the MSI, at the Snapphane Rally in Sweden. It's shaping up to be an exciting prospect indeed, and I'll let you know more as the event draws closer!
All the best
Craig
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