RALLY ace Osian Pryce says he is eager to impress when he rejoins the DMACK World Rally Team for Rally Finland this week, with the Machynlleth driver back amongst the sport’s elite to take on some of the fastest roads within the sport.

Success in last season’s Drive DMACK Fiesta Trophy won Pryce two events in a Ford Fiesta R5, built and run by two-time world champion and current World Rally Championship leaders M-Sport.

His first outing was cut short when he went off the road at Rally Poland last month, but he will feel that Rally Finland is the big one.

Finland is the spiritual home of rallying and, in the 38-year history of the sport, six Finns have won the World Rally Championship 13 times. Also, in the first 50 years of Rally Finland - an event formerly known as the 1,000 Lakes Rally - local drivers won their nation’s biggest motorsport event 44 times.

“Finland’s a really big deal in our sport,” said Pryce. “The Monte Carlo Rally might be the best known rally in the world, but it’s Finland that everybody wants to win.”

Pryce and co-driver Dale Furniss will stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the world’s finest drivers, including four-times World Champion, Frenchman Sébastien Ogier.

“The prize for winning the Drive DMACK title last year really is pretty unreal,” commented Pryce.

“You are taken into the DMACK World Rally Team and given the full treatment. DMACK runs alongside the M-Sport team, so that means we’re sharing the same team as Sébastien Ogier."When we were in Poland last month, I sat down to eat and he was at the table next to Dale and I. It was a fantastic opportunity and real insight into the world of rallying at the very top.

“Obviously, I didn’t take everything out of that opportunity in Poland; crashing early in the event was just about the worst possible result I could have had. But I have another chance next week and I’m going to grab it with both hands.

“Having said that, I’ve got to get the car to the finish and that’s the aim for me. Where I know the road from last year, we’ll look to show our speed, but the finish and the experience of driving these roads for three days is what it’s about.”

Pryce caught the eye of the locals last season when he set a string of fastest times and led his class after the opening day. Returning on Sunday after sliding off the road on Saturday, his Ford Fiesta R2 was unbeaten on the final day in an extraordinary display of speed through the fastest of the stages.

“Everybody told me Finland would be so, so hard to learn first time out, and there’s no doubt it’s one of the most technical rallies I’ve ever done,” he said. “With all of that in mind, I was delighted to come to Finland and show the speed that we did on our debut. What we did last year will really help next week.

“Last year we were here in a front-wheel drive Fiesta, this time around we’ve got a huge amount more power and four-wheel drive; coming to this event and driving an M-Sport Fiesta R5 makes all the hard work worth it. It also makes me hungry for so much more.”

For now, it’s eyes down for Pryce and a maximum focus on the two practice runs he and Furniss will get at the super-fast Finnish roads.

“The recce is vital for every rally, but in Finland it’s even more important,” said 24 year-old Pryce.

“There are so many jumps along the route and every one is different and requires a different line in and different way of landing. It’s tempting to take a lot of speed into the jump and fly as far as you can, but that of course can damage the car and it’s not always the fastest way.”