to deny Breen victory
Sadly, the anticipated showdown between eventual winner Kris Hall and his nearest rival, Craig Breen never happened on last weekend’s (7 March) opening round of the Kick Energy Fiesta Sport Trophy UK.
Hall had won the first two stages of the Malcolm Wilson Rally, but 19-year old Breen from Ireland fought back on SS3 to record exactly the same time as his rival.
Craig said, “We finished the first stage seven seconds behind Kris and I felt that I’d been sloppy and found it hard to get a good rhythm going. On the day’s second stage, we found ourselves a further six seconds adrift. But at that point I felt that we’d begun to find my pace and had driven better. I remember saying to my co-driver Gareth (Roberts), ‘we can push now’’. On the third stage I finally got into the swing of things and we were joint fastest with Kris.”
Now thirteen seconds behind Hall, Craig felt that he could make the deficit up in Greystoke Forest.
“You could say it was time to go ape” the young Irishman joked. But then disaster struck. The Greystoke stage was scheduled to be the last one of the day before the cars were due to go into the service area, but the relentless pace and conditions took their toll before the cars reached safety.
Hall’s was the first to suffer when fuel pump problems forced him to slow. He lost over a minute and dropped to 3rd position. Breen meanwhile had the hammer down and was set to assume the lead when, just three miles into the stage, his gearbox failed.
“The stage was going really well until about halfway through. I went to select second gear and there was no drive. I wracked my brains to think what the problem, and of course the solution could have been - but no matter what we tried, it soon became evident that whatever it was, it was terminal.”
Craig added, “I was gutted. After an exciting morning, the afternoon was shaping up to be even better. I experienced the highs and lows of rallying in the space of just two hours. It proves that, even with the best preparation, there are some things which can’t be avoided. On the plus side though, we’d shown our pace and proved that we could well be strong contenders for the Championship this season.”Hall - who survived to the service area and was able to repair his car before going on to seal the Fiesta class victory - sportingly acknowledged the threat from Breen.
“I’m delighted with this result, but disappointed that Craig had to retire in Stage 4 and it’s a shame that we were denied that battle. I look forward to the challenge he’ll surely offer during the remainder of the season.”
Craig and his Tom Gahan Motorsport team are now preparing for what will be a very busy period in the coming weeks. They will compete in the Bulldog International Rally, Rally de Portugal and the Circuit of Ireland - all of which follow one after the other.
