Round four of the Pirelli Motorsport UK Welsh Rally Championship Nicky Grist Stages on Saturday (July 11) which is based from Builth Wells and takes in classic Welsh gravel stages in Epynt region.
In overall terms, and in championship class 10 for the R5 and Rally2 cars, there could be a change at the head of the standings as current leader Liam Clark has elected to miss the event with his Ford Fiesta Rally2. Dan O'Brien/Liam Regan (M O'Brien Group-Ford Fiesta Rally2) are best placed to take advantage but face the massive challenge of Meirion Evans/Dale Furniss (Castrol-Toyota GR Yaris Rally2) who make a welcome return to the championship.
Aiming to rival Evans will be Matthew Hirst and Declan Dear (Delta Salvage/Witham Motorsport/Speedline Corse UK/Pirelli Skoda Fabia RS Rally2) and James Wilson and Paul Mulholland (Road Tankers Armagh/Rigual/Emco Wheaton/Pirelli-Skoda Fabia Rally2). Meanwhile, other contenders in this strong entry include Bob Morgan/Ade Williams (Winner Garage Skoda Cinderford-Skoda Fabia R5), Rob Morris/Daniel James (RMG Groundwork/Construction Hub-Citroen C3 Rally2), Paul Bonas/Elgan Davies (Rallynuts Motorsport Ltd-Ford Fiesta R5) and Colin Minton/Izzie Holman (Ignition Motorsport Rally Team-Ford Fiesta R5).
The quality continues in the very competitive class nine for the non-R5/Rally2 four-wheel-drive cars where there should be a fine battle among Russ Thompson/Stephen Link (GPM/PD Extinguishers-Ford Fiesta R5 Proto), James Giddings and Aled Davies (Fordpad-Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9) and Nik Elmosre/Cliffy Simmons (CDS Taxis & Private Hire/Calico Interiors/Bells Hotel and Country Golf Club-Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9). Geoff Smith/Joe Dunn (Liberty Express Ltd-Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 6) are getting quicker and quicker while Wug Utting and Nick Starkey (Utting Estates/Geoff Jones Wales) Motorsport-Subaru Impreza) will renew a 50-year old rallying partnership for the event.
Packing out the class will be Arwel Parry/Catrin Price (Moduron Arwel Parry Motors/GPrice Photographs-Subaru Impreza), Martyn Andrews/Tim Currie (Subaru Impreza), Gary Bollands/Nigel Baldwin (GB Motorservices/CiderOnline/GB Furniture Solutions-Subaru Impreza Wagon) and Rob Aslett/Ashley Aslett ((Retro Race and Rally-Subaru Impreza)
Class 8 for the over 2000cc 2WD cars has gained some more BMWs to take on Boyd Kershaw/Keegan Rees (Flying Kiwi Rally Team-Ford Escort Mk2). Regular contenders Andrew Fox/Jaime-Lee Fox (Severnside Defibs and Training/Fitzgerald Plant Services-BMW 325) will be joined by Mike Brown Jnr/Nikola Brown (LB Passive Fire Ltd/Mymidwife.uk BMW Compact) and former Subaru Impreza crew Colin Griffiths/Marc Morgan (Cefnsuran Farm Self Catering Holidays-BMW 135),
Damian Cole/Ian Allsop (Get Connected-Ford Escort Mk2) head Class 7 for the 1600 to 2000cc cars from Tom Todd/Dan Morefield (Historic Motorsport-Ford Escort Mk1), but they will face the rapid Fiestas of Liam Griffiths/Robbie Sandford (Presteigne Tyre Services/KS Morgan/Monnow Marquees-Ford Fiesta ST Maxx) and Max Utting/Huw Mathias Ford Fiesta ST. Adding depth of quality to the class will be Geoff Phelps/Colin Jenkins (Cherry Rock Ltd/Dave Jenkins Motorsport-Ford Escort Mk2), Jeremy Harris/Alexandra Harris (Kilcot Garage Ltd/Gurneys Family Butchers/Edge Communications-Ford Escort Mk1) and Gary Smith/Les Forsbrook (Ford Escort Mk1).
Michael Jenkins/Martin Haggett (Ignition Motorsport-Ford Fiesta R2) have a handy lead in the 1600cc Class 6 where their rivals on the Nicky Grist will be Christopher Skinner/Mark Williams (Peugeot 205 GTi) and Neil Commons/Christian Brown (Ford Fiesta R2), while Class 2 for R2 and Rally4 features JBRC contender Riley Chester with Jack Morris alongside in his Peugeot 208 Rally4. Class 1, for road rally cars, is all about Colin Evans/John Evans (Towy Waste-BMW 318ti).
Set to be as hotly contested as ever is Class 0 for the 1400cc cars where Dylan Fowler-Bishop/Dan Evans (Restruct Ltd/Total Spray Solutions/JFB Motorsport/Jordan Road Surfacing-Nissan Micra) should set the pace from Geraint Williams/Ifan Rowlands (GW Services/Gwynedd Skip and Plant/Carafanau Hamdden/Ceir Seiont/Cacenau Tyn Twll Cakes-Vauxhall Nova). Luke Watts/Matt Rogers (Ian Watts & Son Funeral Directors/Watts Memorials Limited/NJ Auto Repairs-MG ZR), Ed James/Kevin Lane (EJM Preparation/SJG International-Nissan Micra kit car) and Joel Lewis/Jamie Mills (Bucknell Auto Services-Peugeot 106 XSi) are other contenders.
In Class H3 for the Category 2 cars Neal James/Gerallt Davies (Valley Auto Sport/Classic Car Storage Ammanford-Ford Escort Mk2) head the way from Mark Tugwell/Steve Pugh (Metalways-Ford Escort Mk1), David Hopkins/Siobhan Pugh (Hopgrove Construction/Ribbons of Treorchy/Mosley's Rolling Road/WOS Performance-Ford Escort Mk1), Jon Adams/James Wardle (Ford Escort) and Jeremy Wells/Paul Rumary (Wells Masonry Solutions Ltd-Ford Escort).
Finally in Class H4 for Category 3 cars over 1600cc it should be the Ford Escort Mk2s of Andy Davies/Eurig Davies (GAP Solutions Ltd) and Mike Simpson/Ian Jones setting the pace while John Greves/Russell Thompson (Greves Transport) and Charles Hopkinson/Alan Jones (Ford Escort Mk2) add further quality and Yorkshireman Matthew Stroud will give PWRC registered co-driver Jack Bowen a fast run around the forests in another Ford Escort Mk2.
For 2026 the Restruct Junior Challenge within the PWRC is only 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 this event 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.
