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Motorsport UK Pirelli Welsh Rally Championship announce expanded support packages for 2024 season.
This year's Motorsport UK Pirelli Welsh Rally Championship will have a bigger and better rewards package on offer for its many class categories - with expanded prizes and incentives for its Junior, Historic, Two-Wheel Drive and Welsh Challenge categories.
Pirelli will continue as title sponsor of the 2024 Welsh Rally Championship, in a partnership which goes back 13 years to 2012.
Jonathan Wells, Pirelli UK Motorsport Manager, said: "We are pleased to continue our long-standing relationship with the Welsh Association of Motor Clubs in support of the Pirelli Welsh Rally Championship. The club continues to organise a fantastic array of events with great depth of talent displayed across the competitor base, allowing us to showcase our excellent range of Pirelli Scorpion gravel rally tyres in many different conditions. We look forward to the fast-approaching 2024 season and expect another great year in the Welsh forests."
The buoyant Welsh Junior Rally Championship - which had 11 points-scoring drivers, six of which were still in contention for the title entering the final round, and eight points-scoring co-drivers last year - will be boosted in 2024 with Restruct joining OnThePaceNote as joint class sponsors.
The prize for the winning Welsh Junior driver will be a day with triple British champion Matt Edwards, who is one of the most sought-after rally tutors in the world, while the winning Welsh Junior co-driver will receive a goodie bag filled with some great kit that OnThePaceNote's Craig Parry used during his professional co-driving career.
OnThePaceNote UK's Craig Parry said: "For the 2024 prize we wanted to offer something that would benefit both driver and co-driver. Bringing Matt Edwards into the equation was a perfect fit with his experience of both competing and tuition, and to have a session with him will benefit any young driver. For the co-drivers, giving them the tools that benefited me over the years would hopefully help them while they are competing in the future. We are delighted to carry on our collaboration with Pirelli Welsh Rally Championship for a sixth year."
Restruct, which is owned by Welsh Historic rally driver Ron Morgan, and OnThePaceNote will come together to offer an exclusive driving training and media day during 2024, for all registered Welsh Junior Rally Championship competitors.
Ron Morgan said: "It gives us great pleasure to be associated with the Welsh Association of Motor Clubs and it is very exciting to be sponsoring the Juniors this year knowing how difficult it is starting out in rallying. We wish all the Juniors the best of luck for the forthcoming season and for many years to come - and hopefully finding a new Welsh champion among them."
Hockly Motorsport, one of Wales' most iconic and long-running motorsport operations, will continue to support the Pirelli Welsh Two-Wheel Drive and 1400 class categories.
Jess Hockly-Edwards, Hockly Motorsport Managing Director, said: "As a company we are delighted to have been given the opportunity to continue our support of the Pirelli Welsh Rally Championship. We have always prided ourselves on supporting clubman rallying and this championship is a true reflection of grassroots rallying, providing a class for all to compete in within a friendly and welcoming atmosphere. We wish all competitors all the very best for this year, and let's hope it's as competitive as last year."
Lyn Davies, the reigning Pirelli Welsh Historic class W9 champion, has come in as sponsor of the 57 Tyres Welsh Challenge. This very popular category is open to any driver and co-driver who did not finish in the top 10 overall on any round of last year's Pirelli Welsh Rally Championship (or any equivalent status championship event) and who has never previously been Welsh Challenge champion.
Lyn Davies said: "Last year was my first year competing on gravel, after many years of rallying on asphalt, and I really enjoyed it. The Pirelli Welsh Rally Championship is very professionally run, the events are great, there is a great camaraderie amongst the competitors and therefore I wanted to give something back. I'll be back out myself in my Escort Mk2 attempting to defend my Historic class W9 title, and with a bit of luck I'll be a lot quicker this year!"
The David Stokes Historic Challenge award for drivers and the Guy Weaver award for co-drivers will continue into a third year.
The registered crews that finish in the top three of each Historic class at the end of the season will be put forward and a judging panel (made up of representatives from the Pirelli Welsh Rally Championship, the Welsh Association of Motor Clubs, members of the Stokes family and Guy Weaver) will select the winners based on criteria such as sportsmanship, unflappable determination, performance improvement and how they go out of their way to promote motorsport in a positive and safe manner.
David Lloyd Roberts and Declan Casey won the awards in 2022, while Jonathan Brace and Jonny 'Tad' Evans won in 2023.
Witham Motorsport - which is part of the Witham Group, one of the UK's leading independent manufacturers and suppliers of automotive, commercial, and industrial lubricants and paints - will continue to offer its generous event-by-event rewards for drivers in the 4WD, 2WD and Historic categories.
Richard Scarbrough, Sales Director of Witham Motorsport, said: "We are delighted to be supporting the prestigious Motorsport UK Pirelli Welsh Rally Championship again for the 2024 season. We're eager to witness the thrilling competition and cheer on all the drivers and teams as they battle it out on the iconic Welsh stages. We look forward to contributing to the success of the 2024 championship."
The Pirelli Welsh Rally Championship is proud to announce The Osborne Trust (theosbornetrust.com) as its official charity, which is a new initiative for 2024.
The Osborne Trust is the only national charity dedicated to supporting the children of a parent going through a cancer diagnosis, cancer treatment, cancer recurrence, living with incurable cancer, a death of a parent from cancer and beyond. The Trust has been specifically set up to offer emotional and practical support to children aged 18 years and younger of a parent diagnosed with cancer. For these children, it is providing the opportunity to bring some normality back into their lives, for others it provides some respite from what they see when a parent is undergoing cancer treatment. But for all, at what is such a hard time for these children, the support The Osborne Trust offers reduces their feelings of isolation, lift spirits, bring families together and be a reason to smile.
Emma Osborne, founder of The Osborne Trust, said: "We are thrilled to have been chosen as the Pirelli Welsh Rally Championship's official charity for the coming year. Having support from such a fantastic organisation like this will help us raise awareness across Wales about who we are and the work we do to support children during their parent's cancer treatment and beyond. We look forward to working with them throughout the championship. We can't do what we do without fantastic support from organisations such as this and this will help us massively as we continue with our busiest year since we launched back in 2014."
Dave Evison, Motorsport UK Pirelli Welsh Rally Championship Secretary, said: "The closed season has been a busy but rewarding few months and it is brilliant to have the enthusiastic support of our sponsors as we head into the rally season. We have a real mix with long-standing supporters and some new sponsors for this season, which is fantastic as it enables us to offer that little extra to our contenders which in turn supports the events making up the series. We are also delighted to have a new partner in The Osborne Trust. Emma, who runs the charity, has done some fantastic work and we are delighted to support the charity and to spread the message to a new audience. Please do look up The Osborne Trust."
The Welsh Association of Motor Clubs organised 2024 Pirelli Welsh Rally Championship will start with the Get Jerky Rally North Wales on Saturday 16 March. Organised by Wolverhampton & South Staffs Car Club, the Welshpool-based event will have stages in Garth, Dyfi and Dyfnant forests.
More details on the 2024 Motorsport UK Pirelli Welsh Rally Championship can be found online at: wnrc.wamc.org.uk.
2024 Motorsport UK Pirelli Welsh Rally Championship
Saturday 16 March.......Get Jerky Rally North Wales
Saturday 13 April.......Rallynuts Severn Valley Stages
Saturday 18 May.......Plains Rally
Saturday 13 July.......Nicky Grist Stages
Saturday 7 September.......Phil Price Memorial Woodpecker Stages
Saturday 26 October.......Visit Conwy Cambrian Rally
Saturday 16 November.......Wyedean Rally
Dave Evison
Secretary, Motorsport UK Pirelli Welsh Rally Championship
Paul Evans
Press Officer, Motorsport UK Pirelli Welsh Rally Championship
Picture captions
Overall Pirelli Welsh Rally Championship title challengers: Bob Morgan/Ade Williams (Å koda Fabia R5)
57 Tyres Historic class W9 champions: Lyn Davies/Aled Richards (Ford Escort Mk2)
OnThePaceNote/Restruct Welsh Junior supporter and 57 Tyres Historic runner: Ron Morgan/Sion Jones (Ford Escort Mk2)
OnThePaceNote/Restruct Welsh Junior title challengers: Sam Mason/James Seymour (Ford Fiesta)
Hockly Motorsport 2WD champions: Andrew Fox/Jaime-Lee Fox (BMW 325)
Hockly Motorsport 1400 frontrunners: Dylan Fowler Bishop/Dan Evans (Nissan Micra)
Witham Motorsport: Richard Scarbrough presents Julian Birley with the Witham Group Historic special award at the 2023 Visit Conwy Cambrian Rally
Ozzy, The Osborne Trust mascot - official charity of the 2024 Pirelli Welsh Rally Championship
Pictures by Paul Mitchell. Please credit 'Paul Mitchell Photography' if used.
Nicky Grist Stages win Motorsport UK Pirelli Welsh Rally Championship 'Rally of the Year' Award
The Nicky Grist Stages has won the prestigious Motorsport UK Pirelli Welsh Rally Championship's 'Rally of the Year' award, as voted for by registered competitors.
The Speedsports Shield was presented to event organisers Quinton Motor Club at the annual Welsh Association of Motor Clubs gala prize giving.
Based in the centre of Builth Wells, with a ceremonial start on Strand Street, the service area on the Builth Wells RFC pitch, a champagne podium finish on the banks of the River Wye and gravel stages in the nearby forests of Llyn Login, Monument, Halfway and Crychan (allowing for minimal road mileage), the Nicky Grist Stages is a well-established and much liked round of the Pirelli Welsh Rally Championship - attracting one of the biggest championship entries of the season.
"The Nicky Grist Stages is one of those events you see in the calendar and can't wait for it to come around," says triple and reigning Pirelli Welsh Rally Champion Matthew Hirst.
"It really rewards commitment right from the outset. The rally has started for the last few years on the Llyn Login stage, which features some of the biggest crests and jumps you will come across in British rallying. You sit on the start line of it looking in awe at the scale of the first jump, and it does focus the mind. The rest of the stage is quite open with good sightlines, which gives you confidence.
"Crychan has a more traditional Welsh forest stage feel to it, with quite a few junctions and a nice flow. It's also got some technical narrow bits under the trees which can bite. I find it helps to have some good pace notes and previous experience of Crychan - me and Dec [Declan Dear, co-driver] try to spend some extra time on the notes in here.
"Halfway is a stage of two parts. The first section of the stage runs through a quarry which is quite wide, giving you confidence to move the car around and use all the space available. The stage then moves onto a stunning hillside section - at least to look at in photographs, less so as a crew focusing on the drop on the outside! Still, what a pleasure Halfway is to drive at speed, right on the edge at points it can feel a bit like being on a downhill ski slope. One corner just flows into the next and you can push properly hard all the way to the finish.
"The last stage Monument was a highlight for me last year. We were fastest through here on both runs by a decent chunk. There are a few corners where you can take some interesting lines. The profile of the road tends to work for you with quite a lot of camber in places which means you can carry an extra few miles an hour. The icing on the cake was the much-anticipated return of the jump after the crossroads. I think as photos and videos show, it was a welcome return for both spectators and drivers. I spent quite a lot of time before the event discussing how I was going to attack it and to be honest it was just a case of seeing how it felt on the day. I think in hindsight we actually took it quite well with just a small lift on the approach and then back to full power before take-off to keep the nose up. The problem wasn't with the landing, it's stopping in time for the hairpin left 120 metres down the road with a small right kink just on the approach.
"We had a great battle with Elliot Payne for the overall rally win on last year's event. Fair play to him, he was on some pace and took the win by eight seconds. This didn't detract from the day and I'm thoroughly looking forward to 2024's running of the event."
"Quinton Motor Club and the team behind the Nicky Grist Stages are delighted to be awarded the prestigious Best Event Award in the 2023 Motorsport UK Pirelli Welsh Rally Championship," said Neil Cross, Clerk of the Course for the Nicky Grist Stages.
"We strive to put on the best event possible and knowing it's been appreciated makes all the effort worthwhile."
"I am very pleased to learn that the 2023 Nicky Grist Stages has won the Pirelli Welsh Rally Championship Rally of the Year Award," said Mark Hammond, Mayor - Builth Wells Town Council.
"There can be no bigger accolade than to be recognised by the actual competitors themselves. It's well deserved.
"The organisers readily acknowledge that having the rally based in the centre of Builth Wells was a big contributing factor to this award, and from the town's perspective it is wonderful to have this acknowledged.
"The rally at Builth is a vibrant and stunning event, which makes the relationship between the town and the Nicky Grist Stages a real two-way partnership. The event draws in many visitors who make good use of all the shops, pubs, cafes and other great amenities that Builth has to offer, as well as the natural beauty of the town, particularly as it is situated on the banks of the River Wye.
"What I have also found equally impressive is their positive attitude to liaising with the Town Council, and particularly with the Town Clerk. The organisational skills and clinical attention to detail, especially where the safety of competitors and those watching are concerned shown by the Nicky Grist team, reflects the high-level professional approach needed where an event like this is concerned. It also keeps the disruption in the town to a minimum.
"Builth was really pleased to host the rally in 2023 and we are not only looking forward to this year's event, but all those in the years to come as well."
"It is always a difficult task choosing the best Pirelli Welsh Rally Championship event because all of the organising teams in the championship do such a fantastic job and very often there is little to choose between events," explains Dave Evison, Pirelli Welsh Rally Championship Secretary.
"In recent years the organising team from Quinton Motor Club have made small but effective changes and it's made the difference with a lot of very positive feedback from our contenders."
Details on the 2024 Motorsport UK Pirelli Welsh Rally Championship can be found online at: wnrc.wamc.org.uk.
2024 Motorsport UK Pirelli Welsh Rally Championship
Saturday 16 March.......Get Jerky Rally North Wales
Saturday 13 April.......Rallynuts Severn Valley Stages
Saturday 18 May.......Plains Rally
Saturday 13 July.......Nicky Grist Stages
Saturday 7 September.......Phil Price Memorial Woodpecker Stages
Saturday 26 October.......Visit Conwy Cambrian Rally
Saturday 16 November.......Wyedean Rally
Dave Evison
Secretary, Motorsport UK Pirelli Welsh Rally Championship
Paul Evans
Press Officer, Motorsport UK Pirelli Welsh Rally Championship
Picture captions
2023 Nicky Grist Stages - Motorsport UK Pirelli Welsh Rally Championship podium celebrations
Matthew Hirst/Declan Dear (Ford Fiesta R5)
Dan Jones/Cyril Jones (Vauxhall Nova)
Nicky Grist Stages service area in Builth Wells
Iwan Roberts/Daniel Jones (Ford Escort G3)
Ron Morgan/Sion Jones (Ford Escort Mk2)
Pictures by Paul Mitchell. Please credit 'Paul Mitchell Photography' if used.
Jonathan Brace and Jonny ‘Tad’ Evans receive the David Stokes Historic Challenge and Guy Weaver awards
Jonathan Brace and Jonny 'Tad' Evans have been honoured with two special Motorsport UK Pirelli Welsh Rally Championship awards - the David Stokes Historic Challenge for drivers and the Guy Weaver award for co-drivers.
The award winners were selected by a judging panel (made up of representatives from the Pirelli Welsh Rally Championship, the Welsh Association of Motor Clubs, members of the Stokes family and Guy Weaver) from a list made up of drivers and co-drivers who had finished the 2023 series in the top three in each Historic class. The panel unanimously agreed that Jonathan and Jonny were worthy recipients of the annual awards, thanks to their sportsmanship, unflappable determination, performance improvement and how they go out of their way to promote motorsport in a positive and safe manner.
Driving his Dave Jenkins Motorsport-built Ford Escort RS1600 Mk1, Jonathan finished second in the W8 (2WD Historic 1601cc) class - having won the class four times out of five appearances. A stalwart of Welsh rallying, the Newport-based driver also generously donates hundreds of his family's famous Brace's Bakery Welsh Cakes to marshals and event officials, which is always very much appreciated.
Jonny is a vastly experienced competitor, having started co-driving in 1997. Much of his rallying has taken place the Welsh forests, giving the Newtown-based navigator an encyclopaedic knowledge of the stages. This year he won the class W8 title, guiding Andrew Stokes to three class victories and three second place finishes in their Stokes Rally Team Ford Escort RS1600 Mk1.
As well as ably demonstrating their speed, Jonathan and Jonny also impressed the judges with their excellent demeanour towards championship personnel, event officials and marshals, the high standard of car preparation and being great ambassadors to rallying - qualities that the late David Stokes always insisted upon and which Guy Weaver continues today.
Jonathan Brace said: "I'm so proud to win this award with the great help of Paul Spooner [co-driver] by my side. I had known David Stokes for forty years, with us both being in the baking trade and with our interest in rallying. I believe I sparked his interest back into the drivers' seat with a bit of cajoling, when I leant my car to him to do the 1996 Sweet Lamb Stages and also the Wyedean, as it wasn't long after he was looking for a car for the Historic Championship. I always looked up to his neat driving style and thought he was a great target for all the up-and-coming drivers as he was always fast and ultimately consistent. The last two years I have stepped into the Escort Mk1 and everything clicked; Paul Spooner's notes and the car just suited my driving style. It is a great honour to continue my association with David's name and talent."
Jonny 'Tad' Evans said: "What an honour it is to win this fantastic award, the Guy Weaver Historic Challenge. I knew David and Guy from years ago while competing on the same events, the pairing of both David and Guy were a force to be reckoned with. They won the overall Historic Championship four times, which says it all to how good they were as a team. This award means so much to me, as does being able to join David's brother Andrew in AFW 66K - the car that David and Guy rallied in together. A massive thanks must go to Andrew for the season and also to our team manager Sue [David's wife] and KJ on spanner's for not only building a fantastic car, but for maintaining it as well."
Andrew Stokes said: "David [Stokes] used to have lots of different rally sayings, usually containing a swear word or two! Two printable sayings I remember were 'carry your speed' and 'show the spectators what they want to see' - and both winners epitomise that philosophy of hard changing and putting on a good show for the fans. I'd therefore like to congratulate Jonathan Brace, who has shown devotion to the Pirelli Welsh Rally Championship over many seasons and has a driving style befitting the David Stokes Historic Challenge award, and Jonny 'Tad' Evans, who I know from first-hand experience what an excellent co-driver and companion he is, and a very worthy winner of the Guy Weaver award."
Guy Weaver said: "Congratulations to Jonathan [Brace] and Jonny ['Tad' Evans]. They both showed a lot of grit and determination last year and supported the Pirelli Welsh Rally Championship, which is all very important in the ethos that the awards are both considering in terms of criteria. I hope that 2024 sees even more competitors come and enter these championship events, putting a smile on all the spectator's faces out there watching - which is something that David [Stokes]
Dave Evison, Motorsport UK Pirelli Welsh Rally Championship Secretary, said: "Congratulations to Jonathan Brace on winning the David Stokes Award - he has shown great improvement in his results over the last eighteen months, has been a great ambassador for the sport both in and outside the car, and always conducts himself with the utmost professionalism. Working together with co-driver Paul Spooner, Jonathan has demonstrated a greater understanding of teamwork which has helped him and his team achieve success. Congratulations also to Jonny 'Tad' Evans for winning the Guy Weaver Award. Jonny lives and breathes rallying in Wales, his enthusiasm for the sport is second-to-none and when the flag drops it's his exceptional co-driving and office management skills that kick in. The demand for his co-driving services speaks for itself."
Both the David Stokes Historic Challenge for drivers and the Guy Weaver award for co-drivers will continue in 2024, while further details on the 2024 Motorsport UK Pirelli Welsh Rally Championship can be found online at: wnrc.wamc.org.uk.
Dave Evison
Secretary, Motorsport UK Pirelli Welsh Rally Championship
Paul Evans
Press Officer, Motorsport UK Pirelli Welsh Rally Championship
Pictures by Paul Mitchell. Please credit 'Paul Mitchell Photography' if used.
paulmitchellphotography@gmail.
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