AS CRONIN WINS 2012 BRITISH RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP AND CITRON RACING TROPHY UK!

 ■Cronin and Clarke seal British Rally Championship title with third place in International Rally Yorkshire ■Closest ever finish in the British Rally Championships 54-year history as the battle between Pryce and Cave ended in dead heat ■Cave awarded victory by virtue of quicker time on special stage oneThird place in the International Rally Yorkshire was enough for Corks Keith Cronin and his Enniskillen co-driver, Marshall Clarke, to seal the British Rally Championship title and the Citron Racing Trophy UK title to boot. What a weekend it was for Citron as Tom Cave and Osian Pryces remarkable battle ended in a dead heat, the closest ever finish in the British Championships 54-year history. The win and the fabulous 10,000 Junior prize were awarded to Tom by virtue of his faster time on the very first special stage. This means that Citron UK has taken a decisive victory in the BRC Manufacturers Championship, in what has been a superb season for the DS3 R3, in which it has shown great speed and reliability.The final Yorkshire round began on Friday evening, with crews heading into the darkness for the 15.5-mile Dalby stage. Keith Cronins main BRC rival Elfyn Evans did not enter this round, but the Cork man still had to claim a finish to secure the BRC and CRT UK titles. My nerves werent too bad before the start, commented Keith. We knew what we had to do, drive at our own pace and keep the concentration. We had a small worry on the first stage, when the wind-screen fogged up, and we couldnt see much for a couple of miles, but other than that it all went superbly.It wasnt so superb however for Jonny Greer, who sheared the wheel studs on the first stage, and was effectively out of the event, re-joining the stages on the second day to get some more test miles. James Grint was another entrant who sadly didnt make the start after getting submerged in a flood whilst setting up the spot-lights the night before the event.There was an all-important race on between two young Welsh driversTom Cave and Osian Prycewith Cave just one tenth of a second faster on the opening test to hold the narrowest of overnight leads, as Pryce set about rectifying a brake issue at service. I think that I hadnt bedded in my new brake pads properly on the way to the first stage, and after three miles, the pads started to overheat and we were getting a long pedal, commented Osian.They would cool a bit on the long straights, but the next minute there was nothing, and ironically that one tenth of a second on the stage that I lost was to cost a lot.That stage win by Tom Cave was to become crucial at the end of this amazing event. This battle would decide the destination of the Junior prize, 10,000 from Citron Racing towards participation in the Rally Du Var, and the two Davies Motorsport team mates were set to have a titanic battle. Desi Henry also had a misted screen on this stage, and a problem with his spot-lights, things just not flowing for the Portglenone racer.Indeed, as day two began it was a ding-dong scrap, with Cave taking eight seconds from Pryce on the opening two stages. Osian, despite a new set of brake pads, was a bit worried about his brakes, but by stage four his confidence had returned, as he set the fastest time, leaving the gap at 5.7 seconds at service. Keith Cronin was third and Desi Henry enjoyed a good showing in fourth, with Keiths old co-driver Barry McNulty in the hot seat. We were setting a steady pace, not taking any big chances, although we did have a small over-shoot on stage four. It was going well however, and when we did push on, the times were very good, quipped Desi. Callum Black, although not registered for the Trophy, would bring his DS3 home in sixth place overall, despite a few dramas.Two long stages remained and for Tom Cave there was high drama, the DS3 emerging from the second run of Dalby with bent rear suspension, and now 8.8 seconds down on their rivals. We did have a fantastic battle with Osian throughout the event though and when I hit the bank on the fifth stage, I thought it was over for us, commented Tom. But the boys fixed the car up as well as they couldit felt as good as it had all rallyand we gave it everything we had in the last stage; I couldnt believe it when Craig told me we were on the same time.On the final 14-mile Langdale test, Tom, quite amazingly, was exactly 8.8 seconds faster than Osian, meaning that it was dead heat for rally victory. Osian explains his final stage; I made a couple of mistakes near the start of the stage, just trying too hard, and we were lucky to escape on one occasion. I was then probably a bit cautious after that and I wasnt surprised that we lost the time. Of course Im disappointed to lose the Junior prize and my first rally win on the tie-break, and the lesson learned is not to let it happen again! On the other hand Im delighted with my third place in both the BRC and Citron Racing Trophy. Im happy that our pace has increased and of the top three Im the most inexperienced, so Im really looking forward to next year, to try my best to win the Citron race.The tie-break was resolved by the faster time on the very first stage, and that 0.1 of a second stage win by Tom Cave saw him take the rally victory and the Junior prize. For me, second in the BRC, and the Citron Racing Trophy, and the Citron Junior title is a great result, particularly in my first full BRC season. Its been a tough year but a rewarding one. I have so many people to thank: my late father who would have been very proud, my mum and family, Craig, the Davies Motorsport Team and all my supporters. We are now looking forward to the Rally Du Var, and hopefully, well be able to go to France and see how we perform.Osian Pryce has the consolation of third in the BRC standings and third in the Citron Racing Trophy UK series, in what has been a season of promise for the Welsh driver, while Desi Henrys fourth place rewarded him with the Pirelli yellow jersey, which puts him into the shoot-out to drive a funded DS3 R3 in next years BRC. Its fabulous to have another run at the shoot-out, and with the prize drive being in a DS3 R3 next year, it really puts you in a car capable of winning the BRC. I was very happy with this weekend, as we have made another step up on our gravel driving, and now I feel we can really challenge on this surface, commented Desi.The big celebrations at the end of the final stage were saved for Keith Cronin and Marshall Clarke as their third place ensured Keiths third British Rally Championship and Marshalls first victories in both the drivers and co-drivers CitronRacing Trophy UK standings. It was a fabulous feeling, when we crossed the finish line of the final stage, to win the BRC for the third time, commented Keith. I had a great feeling of relief too! There was a nice crowd of friends at the end of the final stage to celebrate it with, just like before and its been a great season. Thanks to Mick OBrien, Autosport Technology, Marshall of course and everyone else who has helped us. Its been enjoyable, these two-wheel-drive cars are quite quick and not far off the four-wheel-drive cars on some stages, and with so many Citrons out its been great to compete against drivers in the same machinery. For now, Keith can celebrate his magnificent achievement, and for Citronthe Manufacturers title further emphasises its stature in rallying.