Impressive IRC debut for Junior

Dave Weston Junior says he could have pushed harder on Rally of Scotland, despite the fantastic stage times he put in on the inaugural British IRC event.

The Scottish teenager set a top four stage time and ran fourth overall behind IRC champion Kris Meeke and former British champions Guy Wilks and Alister McRae, before retiring.

“My experience of Scotland was not vast before the rally, so my aim was to recce the stages well, commit to my notes and see how we got on,” said Junior. “So it was fantastic to find myself so high up the rankings and behind three such fantastic drivers, all of whom I admire. It’s given me a real confidence boost in how much I have learned this year in terms of making my own notes and committing to them. I honestly did not feel I was pushing myself beyond my capabilities, and feel I could have pushed harder on the later stages.”

Sadly Junior’s event was cut short when an off on stage seven put an end to his run.

“We picked up a puncture early in the stage and had almost got to the end without losing much time,” explained Junior. “But we slipped wide and hit a rock which launched us into the air and off the road. We got stuck and when the car was removed the damage to the floor and seat rail was too severe to do superally on the Saturday. But I am extremely pleased with the times we had on the event, and am thankful to everyone who has been in touch to congratulate us on how well we did. Not everyone noticed me as ‘one to watch’ before the event, but I think they have noticed me now.”

Rally of Scotland was Junior’s final event of the 2009 season. He has not yet confirmed his plans for next year but having impressed in the BRC and IRC, and sampled some WRC this year, Junior is considering his options for 2010.