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EVANS TOPS PIRELLI WELSH RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP OPENER
Meirion Evans and Dale Furniss headed the 2026 Pirelli Motorsport UK Welsh Rally Championship during the season-opening Rally North Wales, which was based in the border town of Welshpool on Saturday March 28.
By every measure, this was a superb start to the 2026 Welsh championship calendar. The stages were in prime condition and offered fast and flowing challenges in both Aberhirnant and Dyfnant, while the town of Welshpool embraced the event with an extensive service area at the Livestock Market and town centre activity at the start, middle and finish of the rally.
The competition was intense and Evans and Furniss steered their Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 to a memorable victory against stern opposition. Although Evans may not be able to contest all of the rounds of the championship, having a car, team and driver of this calibre in the championship for the opening round was a real boost.
Rally North Wales also marked the opening round of the Restruct Junior Challenge within the championship. Two young competitors from this year's Pirelli Motorsport UK Welsh Rally Championship will win the opportunity of a lifetime to join the M-Sport WRC team for Rally Italia in October.
Class 0, for the up to 1400cc cars, was very well supported and competitive and it was another giant-killing performance from Dylan Fowler-Bishop/Dan Evans (Restruct Ltd/Total Spray Solutions/JFB Motorsport/Jordan Road Surfacing-Nissan Micra) that sealed the class. They had a minute and a half in hand over Luke Watts/Matt Rogers (Ian Watts & Son Funeral Directors/Watts Memorials Limited/NJ Auto Repairs-MG ZR), with Gethin Rhun Price/Steven Brown (R Keith Price Haulage-Nissan Micra) in third.
Brynli Thomas/Dylan Griffiths (WA Motorsport/PR Signs/Cresta Taxis-Peugeot 206) took fourth and Geraint Williams/Ifan Rowlands (GW Services/Gwynedd Skip and Plant/Carafanau Hamdden/Ceir Seiont/Cacenau Tyn Twll Cakes-Vauxhall Nova) completed the finishers after a troubled day. Joel Lewis/Jamie Mills (Bucknell Auto Services-Peugeot 106 XSi) posted an early retirement.
In Class 1, for road rally cars, Colin Evans/John Evans (Towy Waste-BMW 318ti) finished well clear of Richard Phillipson/Jemma Taylor (BL Mini 1000 MK3).
In Class 2 for R2 and Rally4 cars Riley Chester/Robbie Sandford (Peugeot 208 Rally4) took an impressive victory on their debut in the car but Tony Simpson/Simon Rogers (Seacon UK/M-Sport/MRF Tyres/PB Engineering/James Clay & Sons Ltd/ Drop Water Coolers-Ford Fiesta) were only 13s adrift. Michael Jenkins/Christian Brown (Ignition Motorsport-Ford Fiesta R2) rounded out the class.
Class 7 is home to the 1600 to 2000cc cars and was won by Damian Cole/Ian Allsop (Get Connected-Ford Escort Mk2) from Tom Todd/Dan Morefield (Historic Motorsport-Ford Escort Mk1). Geoff Phelps/Lucy Wilding (Cherry Rock Ltd/Dave Jenkins Motorsport-Ford Escort Mk2) should have been well in contention but retired on the first run of Aberhirnant.
Andrew Fox/Jaime-Lee Fox (Severnside Defibs and Training/Fitzgerald Plant Services-BMW 325) had a clear run to take maximum points in Class 8 for the over 2000cc 2WD cars as their opponents faltered. Boyd Kershaw/Keegan Rees (Flying Kiwi Rally Team-Ford Escort Mk2) showed great pace but retired in the final stage while Oliver Wright/Stephen Baxter (Tvalley Motorsports-BMW E30) went out in Dyfnant South.
In Class 9, for all four-wheel-drive cars excluding those running in Class 10, Russ Thompson/Stephen Link (GPM/PD Extinguishers-Ford Fiesta R5 Proto) had a tremendous first rally in the Fiesta, which uses the running gear from their Mitsubishi Lancer. They went well clear of Patrick Naylor/Tom Bishop (Fuchs/GPM/MRF/Bremax-Mitsubishi Evo 9) as Wug Utting/Bob Stokoe (Utting Estates/Geoff Jones (Wales) Motorsport) took third and top Subaru Impreza from the similar cars of Keith Jones/Clive Jones (Grooms Garage Ltd) and Rob Aslett/Ashley Aslett (Retro Race and Rally). Sadly, retirements included the Imprezas of Colin Griffiths/Marc Morgan (Cefnsuran Farm Self Catering Holidays), Arwel Parry/Catrin Price (Moduron Arwel Parry Motors/GPrice Photographs) and Chris Gash/Dylan Williams.
Setting the overall PWRC pace were the top crews in Class 10 for R5, Rally2 and S2000 cars and it was Evans and Furniss (Castrol-Toyota GR Yaris Rally2) who turned in a fine performance to take maximum points as the new pairing of Matthew Hirst and Jack Bowen (Skoda Fabia R5) led the chase. Time lost in a first stage spin hampered Hirst's progress.
Liam Clark/Michael Gilbey (Ford Fiesta Rally2) fended off Irish visitors James Wilson/Paul Mulholland (Road Tankers Armagh/Rigual/Emco Wheaton/Pirelli-Skoda Fabia Rally2) to take third in the division as Dan O'Brien/Niall Burns (M O'Brien Group-Ford Fiesta Rally2) and David Tomlin/Keith Ashley (Axon Commercial Catering Equipment-Ford Fiesta R5) packed out the championship class top five.
Bob Morgan/Ade Williams (Winner Garage Skoda Cinderford-Skoda Fabia R5) were next after losing time with a puncture in SS3 while Paul Bonas/Elgan Davies (Rallynuts Motorsport Ltd-Ford Fiesta R5) headed Colin Minton/Izzie Holman (Ignition Motorsport Rally Team-Ford Fiesta R5). Sadly, Rob Morris/Paul Spooner (RMG Groundwork's Construction Hub-Citroen C3 Rally2) went out with suspension issues before the first stage.
Class H3 for the Category 2 cars was dominated by Ben Smith/Steven Smith (Amigos Tequila Flavoured Beer-Porsche 911 RS) with a superb performance over stages that really suited the Porsche. David Hopkins/Siobhan Pugh (Hopgrove Construction/Ribbons of Treorchy/Mosley's Rolling Road/WOS Performance-Ford Escort Mk1) were next up and ahead of Jeremy Wells/Martin Saunders (Wells Masonry Solutions Ltd-Ford Escort). Mark Tugwell/Steve Pugh (Metalways-Ford Escort Mk1) were sidelined with engine dramas and Jon Adams/James Wardle (Ford Escort) retired in the final stage.
In the Ford Escort battle in Class H4 for Category 3 over 1600ccc, Rob Dennis/Andy Boswell saw off the challenge of Mike Simpson/Ian Jones to take the class by half a minute. John Greves/Russell Thompson (Greves Transport) took third from Steve Chaplin/Rich Suter after Peter Jones/Gareth Davies posted a first stage retirement.
For 2026 the Restruct Junior Challenge within the PWRC will only be open to crews in two-wheel-drive cars and is for competitors aged under 25 at January 1, 2026.
In a continuation of the unique partnership between M-Sport and the Pirelli Welsh Rally Championship, the leading junior driver and co-driver after round three of the season, the Plains Rally in June, will get the chance to travel to Rally Italia and work with the M-Sport team as part of the weather crew for the event.
The Motorsport UK Pirelli Welsh Rally Championship is supported by Pirelli, Ashmores Press Brake Tooling, Restruct, Moduron Arwel Parry Motors, 57 Tyres and LH Motorsport.
Amendment to supplementary regulations
Lovely to see so many of you today and we wish you all well tomorrow.
A number of lower seeded crews have expressed concerns about the possibility they will be running in the dark and the need to run auxiliary lights. Their concern stems from the bonnet mounted Pirelli stickers thus becoming hidden and falling foul of the championship regulations.
As organisers and keen to see fairness for all whilst our sponsor Pirelli still gets maximum exposure.
From this point Reg 6.2 amended for cars running the Pirelli stickers on the bonnet we will allow these to be mounted halfway up the bonnet so as to be still visible should lamp pods be fitted.
This amendment to regs will run until the end of the championship season and is signed by B.Pierce and S.Lednor your championship co-ordinators. 19.30 hrs 27/03/2026
A reminder of all regs pertaining to logos below.
The regs are very clear what's needed, we are it's always been felt more amenable to decals if you're doing other championships , however please remember we're a NATIONAL championship plus bring significant live coverage courtesy of our championship overall sponsors PIRELLI.
A reminder of regs below.
6. Display of Championship Decals*.
6.1 Display on each front door, the Championship sponsors panel (See Appendix 1 A
6.2 Display on the front windscreen the Championship screen strip as shown in picture. (see Appendix 1B) or with the agreement of the championship secretary, the leading edge of the roof (above windscreen) or on the leading edge for the full width of the bonnet , the latter only in conjunction with a screen strip on rear window. (See Apex 1C & 1D)
6.3 Event decals and Championship decals ( 6.1 & 6.2) should be in position prior to scrutineering for each Championship round. Vehicles will be checked to ensure compliance. Decals must remain on the vehicles throughout the event. Vehicles may be checked at random during the event and as they cross the finish line to ensure compliance. Please note that when a registered competitor (driver or navigator) is competing with a non registered competitor, championship decals must be displayed as above to be eligible to score points.
6.4 Championship Officials in the event of accident or bad weather damaging or removing these decals may waive regulations 6.1 through 6.3.
6.5 Competitors in the championship must also make available areas on each side of their car above the wheel arch line for any other decals provided and specifically the David Stokes award.
6.6 The Championship will provide a maximum of 2 sets of Championship decals to each registered contender.These can be posted prior 2 weeks prior to an event subject to a £10 postage charge. Any requests for decals further to this may be charged at £15 per set and issued through the Championship coordinator.
PIRELLI WELSH CHAMPIONSHIP SET FOR FLYING START
The 2026 Pirelli Motorsport UK Welsh Rally Championship will kick off in fine style on Rally North Wales, which is based in the border town of Welshpool on Saturday March 28.
With around 50 PWRC registered crews, it will be a fitting start to the seven-round Championship, which covers the key gravel rallies in Wales between now and mid-November.
Competition is set to be fierce across all classes and Rally North Wales also marks the opening round of the Restruct Junior Challenge within the championship. Two young competitors from this year's Pirelli Motorsport UK Welsh Rally Championship will win the opportunity of a lifetime to join the M-Sport WRC team for Rally Italia in October.
Class 0, for the up to 1400cc cars, should feature some fine competition between Dylan Fowler-Bishop/Dan Evans (Restruct Ltd/Total Spray Solutions/JFB Motorsport/Jordan Road Surfacing-Nissan Micra), Luke Watts/Matt Rogers (Ian Watts & Son Funeral Directors/Watts Memorials Limited/NJ Auto Repairs-MG ZR), Geraint Williams/Ifan Rowlands (GW Services/Gwynedd Skip and Plant/Carafanau Hamdden/Ceir Seiont/Cacenau Tyn Twll Cakes-Vauxhall Nova) and Gethin Rhun Price/Steven Brown (R Keith Price Haulage-Nissan Micra). Adding more depth to the class are Joel Lewis/Jamie Mills (Bucknell Auto Services-Peugeot 106 XSi) and Brynli Thomas/Dylan Griffiths (WA Motorsport/PR Signs/Cresta Taxis-Peugeot 206).
Class 1, for road rally cars, is headed by Colin Evans/John Evans (Towy Waste-BMW 318ti) who have Richard Phillipson/Jemma Taylor (BL Mini 1000 MK3) as class rivals.
In Class 2 for R2 and Rally4 cars Riley Chester/Robbie Sandford (Peugeot 208 Rally4) will be limbering up for their Junior BRC campaign and will go up against Tony Simpson/Simon Rogers (Seacon UK/M-Sport/MRF Tyres/PB Engineering/James Clay & Sons Ltd/ Drop Water Coolers-Ford Fiesta) and Michael Jenkins/Christian Brown (Ignition Motorsport-Ford Fiesta R2).
Class 7 is home to the 1600 to 2000cc cars and should feature a three-way contest between Geoff Phelps/Lucy Wilding (Cherry Rock Ltd/Dave Jenkins Motorsport-Ford Escort Mk2), Damian Cole/Ian Allsop (Get Connected-Ford Escort MK2) and Tom Todd/Dan Morefield (Historic Motorsport-Ford Escort Mk1).
The competition will be fierce in Class 8 for the over 2000cc 2WD cars as Boyd Kershaw/Keegan Rees (Flying Kiwi Rally Team-Ford Escort MK2) return to the forests to take on the BMWs of Andrew Fox/Jaime-Lee Fox (Severnside Defibs and Training/Fitzgerald Plant Services-BMW 325), Dan Chester/Jack Morris (Dan's Action Vehicles Ltd/Silverstone Rally School-BMW E30) and Oliver Wright/Stephen Baxter (Tvalley Motorsports-BMW E30).
One of the most hotly contested classes will be Class 9 for all four-wheel-drive cars excluding those running in Class 10. Expect front runners to include Russ Thompson/Stephen Link (GPM/PD Extinguishers-Mitsubishi Evo 9) and Patrick Naylor/Tom Bishop (Fuchs/GPM/MRF/Bremax-Mitsubis
Setting the overall PWRC pace will be the top crews in Class 10 for R5, Rally2 and S2000 cars. Current champion Matthew Hirst/Jack Bowen (Skoda Fabia R5) will take on major opposition for Meirion Evans/Dale Furniss (Castrol-Toyota GR Yaris Rally2), Liam Clark/Michael Gilbey (Ford Fiesta Rally2) and James Wilson/Paul Mulholland (Road Tankers Armagh/Rigual/Emco Wheaton/Pirelli-Skoda Fabia Rally2).
Other quick crews include Dan O'Brien/Niall Burns (M O'Brien Group-Ford Fiesta Rally2), Bob Morgan/Ade Williams (Winner Garage Skoda Cinderford-Skoda Fabia R5), David Tomlin/Keith Ashley (Axon Commercial Catering Equipment-Ford Fiesta R5), Rob Morris/Paul Spooner (RMG Groundwork's Construction Hub-Citroen C3 Rally2), Colin Minton/Izzie Holman (Ignition Motorsport Rally Team-Ford Fiesta R5) and Paul Bonas/Elgan Davies (Rallynuts Motorsport Ltd-Ford Fiesta R5).
The entry for the historic classes is also strong and Class H3 for the Category 2 cars is headed by Ben Smith/Steven Smith (Amigos Tequila Flavoured Beer-Porsche 911 RS). Other contenders include David Hopkins/Siobhan Pugh (Hopgrove Construction/Ribbons of Treorchy/Mosley's Rolling Road/WOS Performance-Ford Escort Mk1), Mark Tugwell/Steve Pugh (Metalways-Ford Escort Mk1), Jeremy Wells/Martin Saunders (Wells Masonry Solutions Ltd-Ford Escort) and Jon Adams/James Wardle (Ford Escort).
Class H4 for Category 3 over 1600ccc, is all about Ford Escorts in the hands of Rob Dennis/Andy Boswell, Mike Simpson/Ian Jones, Peter Jones/Gareth Davies, Lyn Davies/Aled Richards (57 Tyres), John Greves/Russell Thompson (Greves Transport) and Steve Chaplin/Rich Suter.
For 2026 the Restruct Junior Challenge within the PWRC will only be open to crews in two-wheel-drive cars and is for competitors aged under 25 at January 1, 2026.
In a continuation of the unique partnership between M-Sport and the Pirelli Welsh Rally Championship, the leading junior driver and co-driver after round three of the season, the Plains Rally in June, will get the chance to travel to Rally Italia and work with the M-Sport team as part of the weather crew for the event.
Joint championship co-ordinator Suzanne Lednor said: "We're really looking forward to the Restruct Junior Challenge we have running in partnership with M-Sport for the second time. This fantastic award gives two of our young contenders the opportunity to join M-Sport on WRC Rally Italia Sardegna in early October and gain hands-on experience of how a WRC team operates."
The Motorsport UK Pirelli Welsh Rally Championship is supported by Pirelli, Ashmores Press Brake Tooling, Restruct, Moduron Arwel Parry Motors, 57 Tyres and LH Motorsport.
Pirelli Motorsport UK Welsh Rally Championship
March 28 Rally North Wales
April 11 Severn Valley Stages
June 13 Plains Rally
July 11 Nicky Grist Stages
September 12 Woodpecker Rally
October 24 Cambrian Rally
November 14 Wyedean Stages Rally
Issued by Paul Lawrence on behalf of the Motorsport UK Pirelli Welsh Rally Championship. Tel 07778 547918. For enquiries about the championship please contact Suzanne Lednor - joint co-ordinator on
PIRELLI WELSH RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP SET FOR FLYING START
The 2026 Pirelli Motorsport UK Welsh Rally Championship will kick off in fine style on Rally North Wales, which is based in the border town of Welshpool on Saturday March 28.
With around 50 PWRC registered crews, it will be a fitting start to the seven-round Championship, which covers the key gravel rallies in Wales between now and mid-November.
Competition is set to be fierce across all classes and Rally North Wales also marks the opening round of the Restruct Junior Challenge within the championship. Two young competitors from this year's Pirelli Motorsport UK Welsh Rally Championship will win the opportunity of a lifetime to join the M-Sport WRC team for Rally Italia in October.
Class 0, for the up to 1400cc cars, should feature some fine competition between Dylan Fowler-Bishop/Dan Evans (Restruct Ltd/Total Spray Solutions/JFB Motorsport/Jordan Road Surfacing-Nissan Micra), Luke Watts/Matt Rogers (Ian Watts & Son Funeral Directors/Watts Memorials Limited/NJ Auto Repairs-MG ZR), Geraint Williams/Ifan Rowlands (GW Services/Gwynedd Skip and Plant/Carafanau Hamdden/Ceir Seiont/Cacenau Tyn Twll Cakes-Vauxhall Nova) and Gethin Rhun Price/Steven Brown (R Keith Price Haulage-Nissan Micra). Adding more depth to the class are Joel Lewis/Jamie Mills (Bucknell Auto Services-Peugeot 106 XSi) and Brynli Thomas/Dylan Griffiths (WA Motorsport/PR Signs/Cresta Taxis-Peugeot 206).
Class 1, for road rally cars, is headed by Colin Evans/John Evans (Towy Waste-BMW 318ti) who have Richard Phillipson/Jemma Taylor (BL Mini 1000 MK3) as class rivals.
In Class 2 for R2 and Rally4 cars Riley Chester/Robbie Sandford (Peugeot 208 Rally4) will be limbering up for their Junior BRC campaign and will go up against Tony Simpson/Simon Rogers (Seacon UK/M-Sport/MRF Tyres/PB Engineering/James Clay & Sons Ltd/ Drop Water Coolers-Ford Fiesta) and Michael Jenkins/Christian Brown (Ignition Motorsport-Ford Fiesta R2).
Class 7 is home to the 1600 to 2000cc cars and should feature a three-way contest between Geoff Phelps/Lucy Wilding (Cherry Rock Ltd/Dave Jenkins Motorsport-Ford Escort Mk2), Damian Cole/Ian Allsop (Get Connected-Ford Escort MK2) and Tom Todd/Dan Morefield (Historic Motorsport-Ford Escort Mk1).
The competition will be fierce in Class 8 for the over 2000cc 2WD cars as Boyd Kershaw/Keegan Rees (Flying Kiwi Rally Team-Ford Escort MK2) return to the forests to take on the BMWs of Andrew Fox/Jaime-Lee Fox (Severnside Defibs and Training/Fitzgerald Plant Services-BMW 325), Dan Chester/Jack Morris (Dan's Action Vehicles Ltd/Silverstone Rally School-BMW E30) and Oliver Wright/Stephen Baxter (Tvalley Motorsports-BMW E30).
One of the most hotly-contested classes will be Class 9 for all four-wheel-drive cars excluding those running in Class 10. Expect front runners to include Russ Thompson/Stephen Link (GPM/PD Extinguishers-Mitsubishi Evo 9) and Patrick Naylor/Tom Bishop (Fuchs/GPM/MRF/Bremax-Mitsubishi Evo 9), with opposition from six Subaru Imprezas for Colin Griffiths/Marc Morgan (Cefnsuran Farm Self Catering Holidays), Keith Jones/Clive Jones (Grooms Garage Ltd), Wug Utting/Bob Stokoe (Utting Estates/Geoff Jones (Wales) Motorsport), Arwel Parry/Catrin Price (Moduron Arwel Parry Motors/GPrice Photographs), Rob Aslett/Ashley Aslett (Retro Race and Rally) and Chris Gash/Dylan Williams.
Setting the overall PWRC pace will be the top crews in Class 10 for R5, Rally2 and S2000 cars. Current champion Matthew Hirst/Jack Bowen (Skoda Fabia R5) will take on major opposition for Meirion Evans/Dale Furniss (Castrol-Toyota GR Yaris Rally2), Liam Clark/Michael Gilbey (Ford Fiesta Rally2) and James Wilson/Paul Mulholland (Road Tankers Armagh/Rigual/Emco Wheaton/Pirelli-Skoda Fabia Rally2).
Other quick crews include Dan O'Brien/Niall Burns (M O'Brien Group-Ford Fiesta Rally2), Bob Morgan/Ade Williams (Winner Garage Skoda Cinderford-Skoda Fabia R5), David Tomlin/Keith Ashley (Axon Commercial Catering Equipment-Ford Fiesta R5), Rob Morris/Paul Spooner (RMG Groundwork's Construction Hub-Citroen C3 Rally2), Colin Minton/Izzie Holman (Ignition Motorsport Rally Team-Ford Fiesta R5) and Paul Bonas/Elgan Davies (Rallynuts Motorsport Ltd-Ford Fiesta R5).
The entry for the historic classes is also strong and Class H3 for the Category 2 cars is headed by Ben Smith/Steven Smith (Amigos Tequila Flavoured Beer-Porsche 911 RS). Other contenders include David Hopkins/Siobhan Pugh (Hopgrove Construction/Ribbons of Treorchy/Mosley's Rolling Road/WOS Performance-Ford Escort Mk1), Mark Tugwell/Steve Pugh (Metalways-Ford Escort Mk1), Jeremy Wells/Martin Saunders (Wells Masonry Solutions Ltd-Ford Escort) and Jon Adams/James Wardle (Ford Escort).
Class H4 for Category 3 over 1600ccc, is all about Ford Escorts in the hands of Rob Dennis/Andy Boswell, Mike Simpson/Ian Jones, Peter Jones/Gareth Davies, Lyn Davies/Aled Richards (57 Tyres), John Greves/Russell Thompson (Greves Transport) and Steve Chaplin/Rich Suter.
For 2026 the Restruct Junior Challenge within the PWRC will only be open to crews in two-wheel-drive cars and is for competitors aged under 25 at January 1, 2026.
In a continuation of the unique partnership between M-Sport and the Pirelli Welsh Rally Championship, the leading junior driver and co-driver after round three of the season, the Plains Rally in June, will get the chance to travel to Rally Italia and work with the M-Sport team as part of the weather crew for the event.
Joint championship co-ordinator Suzanne Lednor said: "We're really looking forward to the Restruct Junior Challenge we have running in partnership with M-Sport for the second time. This fantastic award gives two of our young contenders the opportunity to join M-Sport on WRC Rally Italia Sardegna in early October and gain hands-on experience of how a WRC team operates."
The Motorsport UK Pirelli Welsh Rally Championship is supported by Pirelli, Ashmores Press Brake Tooling, Restruct, Moduron Arwel Parry Motors, 57 Tyres and LH Motorsport.
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