by Rob Wilkins


Young Northern Irish rally driver Darren Gass has set his sights on winning the Tesco 99 Octane MSA British Rally Championship Junior and R3 titles this season.

Gass, who currently leads the race for the Junior title - 6 points up on Matt Beebe and who is second in the R3 standings, 1 point behind Conrad Rautenbach, endured a nightmare outing on the Ulster International Rally recently though, with technical problems on day 1 and an off on day 2, leaving him well down the order at the finish.

Speaking exclusively to Crash.net Radio last month, prior to his home event, the 19-year-old noted that his decision to switch to the Citroen C2 S1600 from the Jim Clark, the second round in the championship, was however definitely the right one.

“It seems to have worked out well for us,” he stated. “It is a big improvement on the Fiesta and getting to the finish of the rallies is a real benefit!

“We weren't having much luck with the Fiesta. The Citroen feels good. We have worked on the set-up a lot from the Jim Clark and it has all come together for us.

“Every part of the car is just two steps better – the brakes, the suspension. The difference is just day and night.

“Now if I can hold the lead in the Junior Championship - and possibly win the R3 Championship too that would be a good result for me.”

Asked about the final two events, the International Rally Yorkshire, which runs on October 6 and the Rally GB, he added that his tactics for both events will be very different.

“We are looking forward to the Trackrod and it will be my first time doing Rally GB and it should be a good experience. We will need to approach GB however with a wee bit more caution,” he explained.

“For instance the Trackrod is only a one-day rally and so to get to the finish in Wales [which is a three-day event] will be a big bonus.