Pirelli drivers secured all three places on the podium in changeable weather on the British Rally Championship’s return to the famous Circuit of Ireland.
With 14 stages and 209.56 competitive kilometres held in unpredictable conditions, the BRC’s first appearance on the classic asphalt event for 25 years was an event of attrition, with four different leaders during the course of the rally.
It was Josh Moffett who produced a trouble-free run in his Ford Fiesta R5 to score a maiden BRC victory on round two of the revamped series. Sitting third for most of the first leg, Moffett upped his pace on more familiar stages on leg two as he surged into the lead, eventually winning by 26.9 seconds.
The 23-year-old said: “I didn’t come here this weekend thinking we could win it as the competition in the BRC is unreal. The conditions caught many out and we are glad we stayed clear of it all. I am so happy to have won the Circuit of Ireland. It’s the biggest win of my career.”
Conditions varied considerably, even within individual stages. As well as sunshine and rain, competitors were also greeted by snow in places, just as in the BRC opener in Wales last month. This made choosing the correct tyre for a loop of stages very difficult, and the large amounts of mud dragged onto the roads only made them more slippery.
However, the wide choice of tyres provided by Pirelli helped drivers in finding the best compromise for the changing levels of grip, while the versatility of the product aided performance when the tyre choice was not optimal. The P Zero RK asphalt tyre was available in a number of different compounds, while the RKW7 rain was also used when rain was expected.
Competing close to home on the Belfast-based event, Jonny Greer steered clear of dramas to claim second in his Citroen DS3 R5, climbing from sixth among the BRC contenders at the start of the second day. The 2011 British champion David Bogie was third in his Skoda Fabia R5, making it three different Pirelli-equipped models on the podium.
The trio finished fourth, fifth and sixth overall on the Circuit of Ireland, which also counted towards the European Rally Championship and Irish Tarmac Rally Championship. Kajetan Kajetanowicz finished second on Pirelli tyres to take the lead of the ERC standings, while Alastair Fisher’s third place gave him the ITRC victory ahead of Moffett.
The Pirelli Carlisle Rally will be the next event for the British Rally Championship on April 30-May 1.
