Brady falls foul of rules at BRC round one

Photo shows - Eamonn Creedon (left) and Brian Brady.

Brian Brady from Oldcastle and his co-driver Eamonn Creedon fell foul of the rules at the first round of the British Rally Championship on Saturday.

Having made a strong start in the junior section of the rally, they rolled their Ford Fiesta on the third stage of the ‘Visit Conwy Cambrian Rally’ in Llandudno, Wales.

"The car was only cosmetically damaged, and could have been fixed 100% in service," Brian told the Westmeath Examiner on Monday.

"After the roll on SS3, we continued to the finish, and we drove on to SS4, but we weren’t allowed to enter the stage."

It turned out the clerk of the course had ruled the crew should not continue, and though they were able to drive back to the service area, their rally was over.

They had hoped to carry on under Rally 2 regulations, which permit competitors to re-enter events once their cars are approved by the scrutineers; however, that was also ruled out.

Brady and his team weren’t happy with the decision but accepted it, and are now putting their energy into round two of the BRC, the Clonakilty Park West Cork Rally on March 14 and 15.

Brian said: "It’s not the ideal start, but we have to take the positives. It was the first time driving the car and we were competitive with the regulars.

"I’m using a different Fiesta for the remainder of the year, the plan that was always in place, and will be on the start line of West Cork."