Duns driver Garry Pearson draws blank in 2025 British Rally Championship’s opening round but remains upbeat about rest of campaign
Duns driver Garry Pearson drew a blank in Sunday’s 2025 British Rally Championship opening round in East Yorkshire but is confident that failing to pick up points first time out won’t hamper his fourth and latest campaign unduly.
Pearson, 33, and new co-driver Hannah McKillop, of Newstead, near Melrose, clocked top-three times in their M-Sport Ford Fiesta Rally2 for the first two closed-road instalments of the East Riding Stages near Beverley but were forced to retire before close of play as they were unable to get to grips with a change for the worse in the weather.
The two Borderers were happy with the performance they put in early on, however, believing it bodes well for the championship’s remaining five rounds.
“There are two ways to reflect on the East Riding Stages – pride in our pace but disappointment at the result,” said Pearson.
“I think we ultimately have to take the positives and be really satisfied with how we were able to fight with the very top guys throughout the morning.
“I have put in a lot of work behind the scenes over the off-season to try and make that next step and it was really encouraging to see the difference it made.
“The best thing is that it all felt comfortable and everything flowed really well.
“It’s a shame not to walk away with a decent haul of points, but in the British Rally Championship we are allowed a dropped score, so that shouldn’t affect our championship.
“Thanks to Hannah for her amazing job on our first event together as a full-time partnership.
“I feel really excited for the rest of the season and a return to gravel in April.”
The championship now takes a break until April’s Carlisle round, followed by May’s Jim Clark Rally in Pearson’s native Borders, August’s Grampian Forest Rally in Aberdeenshire and two Welsh rallies, at Aberystwyth in September and Llandudno in October.
Four-time Scottish champion Pearson is targeting a fourth top-five finish in the championship on the spin, having ended up fifth on 60 points last time round, following on from second place in 2023 on 123 points and fifth in his 2022 debut season on 52.
Northern Irish-born McKillop, 30, takes over from Lancashire’s Dan Barritt alongside him this time round.
First place at Beverley, their first in the championship, went to Northern Ireland’s William Creighton and co-driver Liam Regan, last year’s runners-up to Chris Ingram, after winning seven of Sunday’s ten stages in their Toyota GR Yaris Rally2.
Irishman Keith Cronin and sidekick Mikie Galvin took second place, with Welshman James Williams and his companion Ross Whittock third.