The 27-year-old Chesterfield rally star Rhys Yates started his British Rally Championship season well with a third place finish at the season-opener which was held last month at the Cambrian Rally.
Now it is time for the second round next week at the West Cork Rally in Ireland, where Yates will be chasing his maiden BRC win as he opts out of attending the third WRC2 round in Mexico.
Driving a similar Ford Fiesta MKII R5 as he does in WRC, combining assaults in both championships, he is keen to take the British title this year but he knows the weather in Ireland can be tricky on this rally but the fans will keep the spirit up as St. Patricks Day is just around the corner.
“I know it’s going to be hard, I know the competition’s going to be really tough over there, but I think we’ve got the speed to win. I’ve never competed in Ireland before, but last time we were in Northern Ireland for the Ulster Rally, we were leading and right in the thick of the fight for the win when we got a puncture.” Yates said.
“I’m up for it. It’s going to be a great weekend. I’ve watched some of the footage of the event and the roads look superb, really fast and flowing – just the sort of stages I love.”
“If it’s really wet, we might suffer a bit running further back on the road – the more cars that pass, the dirtier the road gets. But that’s fair enough. I didn’t do the event last year and the guys ahead of me all did well and are really good drivers. Let’s see what happens. I’m not thinking about that at all, I just want to get out there and crack on.”
“St Patrick’s day is the Tuesday after we come home, but I’m told next weekend will be a special one to be in Ireland. I’ve heard so much about the passion and the atmosphere on events like West Cork, I can’t wait to get out there and meet some of the fans, then get into the lanes and entertain them.” Yates added.