Keith Cronin and Greg Shinnors set a blistering pace on International Rally Yorkshire to not only take their third gravel victory of 2009, but with it secure the MSA British Rally Championship at their first attempt.
The battle with season-long championship rivals Mark Higgins and Bryan Thomas was all-but won on the first of the day’s nine stages, where the 23 year old from County Cork took thirteen seconds of the triple British rally Champion. Sadly on the last stage, any hope of a late chance for Higgins was quashed when his Pirelli TEG Sport Impreza left the road at high speed.
His reaction at the finish was typically calm, “It hasn't sunk in yet, but we knew we had the pace on this event, having competed here last year. It’s a shame Mark (Higgins) went off on the last stage and I hope they are OK, but to take the title against such an excellent driver is fantastic.”