Ceredigion’s usually quiet lanes will be anything but next month as a contingent of Europe’s fastest rally drivers descends on Mid Wales for the return of the JDS Machinery Rali Ceredigion, writes Elliott Wallace.

Taking place from 4-6 September, the Aberystwyth-based event will bring together the FIA European Rally Championship, British Rally Championship and, for the first time, the FIA European Historic Rally Championship.

Across three days, international and national competitors will tackle just shy of 122 miles of competitive against-the-clock, action over 16 special closed-road stages through Ceredigion and Powys, ranging from narrow and bumpy lanes to vast stretches of open moorland.

There will be plenty at stake before the first car even leaves the start line.

Machynlleth-born Osian Pryce arrives in west Wales leading the British Rally Championship after victory on the Grampian Forest Rally earlier this month. The 2022 British champion has won Rali Ceredigion twice before and will be hoping home roads can help him take another step towards a second national title.

Lampeter’s Meirion Evans, currently third in the championship, will also be one to watch. Evans and Pryce are team-mates at the Castrol MEM Rally Team, both driving Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 cars, but once the clocks start there will be little room for sentiment.

Their opposition will not be short of international pedigree. Reigning European champion Miko Marczyk is among the entries, as is last year’s Rali Ceredigion winner Jon Armstrong. Max McRae, grandson of five-time British champion Jimmy McRae and nephew of the late 1995 world champion Colin McRae, is also set to compete.

The spectacle will begin before the competition proper. On Thursday 3 September, Aberystwyth Promenade will host a free rally show from 4.30pm, followed by an autograph session, pre-event press conference, and ceremonial start at 6pm.

Then, on Friday evening, the stopwatch takes over.

Two blasts around the Aberystwyth street stage from 7pm will open the rally before crews head into darkness for the Elerch and Blaenmelindwr stages. Rallying is demanding enough in daylight. Add narrow Welsh lanes and darkness into the equation and Friday night could quickly separate the brave from the overly optimistic.

Saturday is the longest day. Crews will tackle two loops of Aberffrwd, Soar y Mynydd and Cwm Elan, split by a service back in Aberystwyth. At 13.5 miles, Cwm Elan is the longest stage of the weekend and takes the rally into the Elan Valley before competitors return to town for another pair of runs around the street stage.

Sunday brings Gorsgoch and Ty Glyn, with the second run through Ty Glyn serving as the Power Stage before the surviving crews return to Aberystwyth Promenade for the finish. Clerk of the Course Andy Gilmore said the itinerary had been developed to introduce new roads while continuing to showcase the scenery and character of the region.

This year will also offer something from a rather different era of rallying.

Rali Ceredigion joins the FIA European Historic Rally Championship for the first time, opening the door to pre-1992 machinery including cars such as the Ford Escort MkII, Subaru Legacy and the lairy Ford Sierra Sapphire Cosworth.

For spectators of a certain age, it will be pure nostalgia, but for younger fans, it may be a noisy lesson in motoring history.

The event has become about considerably more than motorsport, however.

Ceredigion County Council says last year’s rally generated an estimated £5.59 million in direct economic impact and an overall positive event impact of £11.6 million, with local businesses reporting increased footfall, overnight stays, and visitor spending. In an economic climate where hotels, restaurants and businesses alike appreciate, more than ever, every customer, a repeat of last year’s influx would provide a welcome September boost.

Away from the stages, organisers have also tried to make the rally feel less like a travelling circus arriving for one weekend and more like part of the community. Its Rali Engage programme has reached more than 4,500 children and young people this year, with drivers and cars visiting more than 40 schools, nurseries, and pupil referral units across Ceredigion.

That influx inevitably comes with disruption. Roads used for competitive stages will be closed and residents and visitors are being encouraged to check official information and plan journeys in advance. You can find up to date information on scheduled road closures here.

Spectators are also reminded that the official fan zones are the authorised places to watch the rural stages. Advance tickets for individual fan zones cost £45 per vehicle, with up to five occupants, while day and weekend options are also available. The Aberystwyth street stage is ticketed separately at £12 per adult in advance, with those aged 16 and under admitted free.

From modern Rally2 machines fighting for European and British honours to historic Escorts echoing through the valleys, this year's Rali Ceredigion will bring an unusually broad weekend of motorsport to Mid Wales and organisers hope, another welcome boost for the communities hosting it.