MEIRION Evans boosted his British Rally Championship title hopes with a superb victory on the final day of the JDS Machinery Rali Ceredigion, while Castrol MEM Rally Team team-mate Osian Pryce also remained firmly in contention after scoring second-place points on Leg 1.

Evans, who lives just 30 miles from the rally’s host town of Aberystwyth, settled quickly into a strong rhythm in his Castrol Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 after making a positive start on Friday evening.

With FIA European Rally Championship crews fighting for the overall honours, Evans and co-driver Dale Furniss concentrated on the BRC battle and secured third-place championship points at the end of Leg 1.

The BRC points were reset for Sunday’s fifth and penultimate round, turning the day into a four-stage sprint.

Evans immediately seized the initiative, setting the pace across the opening loop and building a 14.2-second advantage over his nearest BRC rival by the halfway point.

He then produced an even stronger performance on the second run through Gorsgoch, stopping the clocks 10.8 seconds quicker than on his first pass to extend his lead further.

That cushion allowed him to manage the closing Tŷ Glyn stage and secure maximum BRC points for only the second time in his career. By playing his BRC Joker, Evans also collected five bonus points, lifting him to second in the drivers’ standings heading into the final round.

Pryce’s weekend was one of mixed fortunes.

A puncture on the qualifying stage left him with an unfavourable road position for Leg 1, forcing him to contend with mud and debris dragged onto the road by the cars ahead. Despite the setback, the Welshman steadily increased his pace and challenged strongly for maximum BRC points.

Alongside co-driver James Morgan, Pryce completed Leg 1’s 12 stages sixth overall and claimed second-place BRC points, missing out on the maximum score by less than five seconds.

He started Sunday strongly and was the second-fastest BRC driver on the opening stage, moving up to fourth overall.

However, his challenge ended abruptly on SS14 when a gearbox problem struck his Toyota GR Yaris Rally2.

The contrasting fortunes leave Evans, Pryce and Max McRae locked in a three-way fight for the British Rally Championship crown ahead of the deciding Lewis & Hunter Contracting Cambrian Rally on October 25.

Evans said: “It’s great to get a BRC win, especially when we were playing the Joker, and take the title fight to the Cambrian once again.

“The weather changed and we had saved part of the tyre package thinking it would be warmer, but our speed in the damp was really good and we managed to carry that into the dry conditions as well.

“It was a shame to see Osian pull up because our splits were very close and we were having a good battle.”

Pryce added: “We began on the back foot after qualifying and didn’t get the best start on Friday evening, but by Saturday afternoon we had sorted the car out and were on the pace.

“Everything was going well on Sunday and we were strong on the splits before we lost all drive approaching a junction.

“Having built up a healthy championship lead before Rali Ceredigion, the pressure is back on now.

“But it’s good for the championship that three drivers are fighting for the title going into the final round.”