MACHYNLLETH’S Osian Pryce put himself back into contention for a second Probite British Rally Championship title after a sensational win at the second round of the season, the Rallynuts Severn Valley Stages on Saturday.
Pryce gave co-driver and best friend Rhodri Evans his very first overall rally win with a storming drive in his Michelin-shod Ford Fiesta Rally2, overhauling early rally leader Chris Ingram to take victory by 20 seconds from William Creighton’s similar machine. Ingram rounded out the podium in his Volkswagen Polo GTi, blowing the title race wide open with two different victors in as many rounds.
Once again, the BRC attracted a star-studded and sell-out entry list as over 62 miles of world-class stages offered up the perfect battleground for some of the best drivers in the business. It was Ingram and co-driver Alex Kihurani who took first blood, stopping the clocks just over three seconds faster than Pryce but from there on in, it was the Welshman who took control with a vengeance, winning each one of the remaining morning stages to head into service with almost 12 seconds in hand over Ingram.
But set-up changes in the wrong direction to Ingram’s Polo in service saw the North West Stages winner fall back from the front runners, into the clutches of Creighton and Liam Regan who were on a mission over the afternoon loop in their Pirelli-supported Fiesta Rally2. Two fastest times out of the block after service saw the Irishmen close in on Pryce, but it wouldn’t be enough.
Just to hammer home his authority on the Welsh stages, Pryce set the scratch time on the seventh and final stage of the event, to take his first BRC victory since Rally Yorkshire in 2022.
“It’s a big relief, I’m so happy to get the win today. We had a dodgy couple of stages at the end, and to be honest, it was so slippy, but I drove at a pace where I was comfortable,” said Pryce.
“I did lose some time, which in the end wasn’t too bad, but we certainly had some hairy moments just trying to keep it on the road. Credit to everyone who’s got me here. Top job from Rhodri today too, that's his first-ever win!
“I`m pleased we bounced back from our North West disappointment and now we move forward to the Jim Clark which is an event I really enjoy.”
Outside of the podium places, Newcastle Emlyn’s James Williams is beginning to get to grips with his Hyundai i20 N Rally2, securing fourth place with Ross Whittock on the notes. All the signs are there for progression this season as top three times came during the day, and he was in a prime position to grab a podium if the front-runners faltered.
The action in the Junior British Rally Championship was just as intense, young Scottish ace Robert Proudlock secured his first Junior BRC victory. Proudlock and co-driver Steven Brown spent much of the day chasing Ioan Lloyd and Sion Williams but when Lloyd got his Peugeot 208 Rally4 beached on a corner, Proudlock took command.
Joining the series for the first time, the Stellantis Motorsport Rally Cup IRE & UK saw a super lineup of Peugeot 208 drivers eager to make their mark on the BRC.
Lloyd was at home and felt at home, edging out a sizeable lead but when he exited, Proudlock pounced to claim his first win. Kyle McBride and co-driver Darragh Mullen grabbed second but headed into the final stage just half a second ahead of Keelan Grogan and Ayrton Sherlock. They emerged well up the road and ensured the top three remained the same.