YOUNG Welsh driver Cameron Davies took the top prize on round three of the Prestone Motorsport News Junior BRC in Scotland last weekend.

Round one winners Oscar Solberg and Patrik Barth (Ford Fiesta R2T) led after the opening two stages, with the Scandinavian combination excelling on the wet, rough speed tests until turbo woes ultimately forced the Pirelli pair into retirement on the Saturday.

Stepping into the breach was Llandovery star Cameron Davies and co-driver Caron Tomlinson in their Peugeot 208 R2, following an exciting evening scrap with Solberg and Barth.

The Welsh duo had been dogged by several mechanical gremlins on the opening two rounds and were eager to put their problems behind them on the Scottish gravel.

Setting some impressive times, Davies would stretch out an advantage of nearly one-and-a-half minutes to take his first BRC win in his debut year – making it three different winners from the opening three rally events.

“It’s been a long time waiting for this,” said Davies.

“Last year we did the Fiesta Trophy in the BTRDA series and we won the prize to get to the BRC, and now that we are here, to take the win is worth all the hard work.

“We had our fair share of drama on the rally, we caught cars on stage, nearly had a big spin, my co-driver got a bit sick and our lampods weren’t set up right.

“The win, however, has really helped us in the Championship, as another poor result would have put the pressure on too much. We want to keep it going now.”

Fellow Welsh competitors Meirion Evans and Jonathan Jackson were delighted to finish in second position in a similar 208 R2, netting their best BRC finish to date.

Such was the pace of the top two crews, the Peugeot drivers also scored points in the overall classification.

Rounding out the rostrum were Marty Gallagher and Dean O’Sullivan in another Peugeot 208 R2. The Irish crew had never stepped on the podium previously and were thrilled with the result.

• In Spencer Sport-run Fiesta R2, 19-year old James Williams, from Newcastle Emlyn, drove his best BRC event to date, although sixth place in the Junior category didn’t reflect his efforts.

He was accompanied by experienced co-driver Dai Roberts, from Carmarthen, on his debut with the team.

They suffered from the event’s rocky surface and on Friday evening and were disappointed to have had two front punctures on SS2.

Having climbed up to 4th in class on Saturday morning, it appeared that every time they posted an impressive stage time, they were pushed back by an issue, with three more punctures.

Consequently, they were delighted to make it to the finish as the 6th Junior British Rally Championship crew in 15th place overall.

Williams’ never-give-up attitude coupled with a series of top-three class stage times and the guidance of his knowledgeable co-driver, led to his most impressive BRC performance yet.

“It’s been a challenging event, but still a fantastic experience,” said Williams.

“There were some frustrations along the way - especially with the punctures - but overall I was pleased with our pace and also that we had kept out of trouble.”