Rhys Yates receives boost ahead of British Rally Championship title bid

The 23-year-old Brettex Fiesta R5 pilot from Chesterfield will be backed by French tyre manufacturer Michelin for the 2016 season.

BRC returnees Michelin had been looking for a progressive talent to support in the new look series and Yates was soon appointed, thanks not only to his outlook on the season ahead, but his desire to progress in the sport.

And the Chesterfield ace is delighted by the news.

“Having Michelin on board this year is exactly the boost to my season and my career that I needed,” he said.

“Their name has been synonymous with motorsport for decades and decades and to have the support from a brand so prestigious is a real honour.

“To represent such a huge name in this year’s BRC is a fantastic feeling and I really hope we can deliver some solid results to reward their faith in us.”

Yates has had a successful transition to rallying from his career as a British Junior Moto X rider.

In only his first full year in the sport, Yates successfully campaigned a Fiesta R2 in 2015 and had a dominant run in the BTRDA series before stepping up to an M-Sport Fiesta R5 over the closing stages of the season.

Yates embarked on a series of events to underpin valuable seat time ahead of the opening round of the MSA British Rally Championship in March, scoring many impressive results along the way.

Yates has a realistic outlook on his prospects in the championship.

“There is no doubt that I’ll be one of the ‘wildcard’ chances out there this year but it’s my first season in four-wheel-drive and we will be up against some really experienced drivers,” he added. “I only have experience of one of the events in the calendar but I’m good at adapting to change. I had to be in British Moto X, so I’d like to think we can progress up the leader board during the year.”

The MSA BRC kicks off in Newtown, Wales on Saturday, March 5-6, 2016.