News
SUPERB PIRELLI WELSH CHAMPIONSHIP ENTRY FOR NICKY GRIST
Nearly 60 crews from the Pirelli Welsh Rally Championship will contest round three of the championship, the Nicky Grist Stages on Saturday, July 12.
The Nicky Grist Stages, which runs on classic special stages in the Epynt region of mid Wales from a base at Builth Wells, is the mid-point of this year's Pirelli Welsh Rally Championship as it marks round three of six. With close to 160 entries across the entire event, it is also a strong indicator that forest rallying in Wales is back to very good health after a delayed start to the year due to the damage caused by Storm Darragh.
The entry for the Welsh championship has quality to match the quantity and it is multiple champions Matthew Hirst and Declan Dear who head the front-runners in their Delta Salvage/Witham Motorsport Skoda Fabia R5. Although this is the first time this season they have contested a round of the championship, they still have a chance of adding another title if they can score well across the four rounds still to run.
Fresh from victory in the Sweet Lamb Time Trial, Liam Clark will start the event aiming to seal his place as one of the winners of the M-Sport award for under-25 competitors in his Ford Fiesta Rally2 and will Clark be a prime challenger to Hirst for maximum PWRC points.
Leading the chase of Hirst and Clark will be three rapid Mitsubishi Lancer E9s for Russ Thompson/Stephen Link (GPM/PD Extinguishers), James Giddings/Aled Davies (Fordpad/Tandom/MetDem) and Peter Baylis/Paul Godden (Artificial Lawn Company) along with the Skoda Fabia R5 of Bob Morgan/Adrian Williams (Winner Garage Skoda Cinderford) and the Ford Fiesta R5 of David Tomlin/Keith Ashley (Axon Commercial Catering Equipment).
Making a welcome return to the championship will be Nik Elsmore and Ifan Devine in their CDS Taxis/Calico Interiors Evo 9 and making his second PWRC outing will be rallying newcomer Rob Morris with Rhys Griffin alongside in the RMG Groundworks Citroen C3 Rally2.
The incredibly strong four-wheel drive entry includes Subaru Imprezas for Wug Utting/Bob Stokoe (Utting Estates/Geoff Jones (Wales) Motorsport), Colin Griffiths/Marc Morgan (Cefnsuran Farm Self Catering Holidays) and Martyn Andrews/Steve Greenhill as well as the Ignition Motorsport Ford Fiesta R5 of Colin Minton/Jordan Joines.
Rounding out the four-wheel drive pack are Paul Lomas/Mark Leader (Plant Speed Ltd Ford Fiesta R5), the Subaru Imprezas of Rob Aslett/Ashley Aslett and Arwel Parry/Iestyn Williams, Geoff Cottrill/Nathan Crewe (Cottrill Transport Mitsubishi Lancer E9) and the rare Ford Sierra 4x4 of Ross Clements and Christopher Lear.
Another strong historic field will thrill the fans and it is very good to see Osian Pryce and Phil Pugh leading the pack in their Wales Motorsport Ford Escort Mk2. The former British Rally champion is an ace in Escort Mk2s but will need to push hard to see off the similar cars of Ben Friend/Cliffy Simmons (Allglass Anglia), Rudi Lancaster/Guy Weaver and Robert Gough/Jack Bowen.
The Ford Escort pack is brimming with cars and includes veteran contenders Richard Gough and Les Forsbrook as well as the cars of Ron Morgan/Jodan Joines (Restruct/Wales Motorsport), Charles Hopkinson/Alan Jones, Hywel Jones/Sion Rowlands, Peter Hinton/Ryan Witty (Yorkshire Garden Maintenance/Rallynuts), Peter Jones/Gareth Davies, Neal James/Brian Stubbs, Lyn Davies/Aled Richards (57 Tyres) and Tim Jones/Yvonne Walton (Walton Contracting). Meanwhile, adding variety to the entry is the splendid Volvo 244 of Darrell Denning/Alex Lewis (Genuine Cars and Classics/J&S Handling).
From the Category 2 field, for pre '74 cars, and running in the first group of cars will be the Ford Escort Mk1s of Jonathan Brace/Paul Spooner (Brace's Bread/Dave Jenkins Motorsport), Gary Smith/Clive Jones and Jeremy Wells/Martin Saunders.
The fine PWRC entry run right through the other classes, starting with the over 2-litre division where the BMWs of Andrew Fox/Jamie Lee-Fox and David Jones/Glyn Price take on the thundering Triumph TR7 V8 of Graham Thatcher/Tim Samuel (Pembridge Vehicle Management). Meanwhile, Lee and Daniel Robinson line up in class five in their Ford Fiesta Rally4.
Class 6, for the up to 2-litre cars is always hotly contested and heading the contender will be Liam Griffiths and Robbie Sandford in their very potent Ford Fiesta ST150. Chasing will be the Ford Escorts of Geoff Phelps/Colin Jenkins (Cherry Rock Ltd/Dave Jenkins Motorsport), Tim Phelps/Peter Wilson (Britpart) and Jeremy Harris/Alexandra Harris (Kilcot Garage Ltd/PJW Construction/Gurneys Family Butchers).
Class 7, for the up to 1600cc cars, is another hotbed of competition as the Vauxhall Corsa of Chris Butcher/Jonathan Hawkins (Severnside Defibs & Training) takes on the Honda Civic of Martin Walters/Marie Fletcher (Digger Parts Direct/Tegiwa), the Opel Adam of Oliver Phillips/Barry Young (GPM/Damper Tek) and the Peugeot 306 RWD of Andrew Husselbee/Alex Lewis.
The up to 1400cc division is always fiercely competitive with the Nissan Micras of Dylan Fowler-Bishop/Dan Evans and Ashley Francis-Adams/Mark Ammonds set to rejoin battle with the Vauxhall Nova of Geraint Williams/Ifan Rowlands (Gwynedd Skip and Plant Hire/GW Services/RG Hire Ltd/Ceir Seiont Cars/T D Plant Hire/Carafannau Ham) and the 1000cc Micra of Dominic Hodge/Brian Cammack (Humphris Motorsport). Rounding out this popular class are Adam Booth/Daniel Granger (Vauxhall Corsa) and the Peugeot 106 of Joel Lewis/Jamie Mills (Bucknell Auto Services).
Class 10 for the near standard Rally Start cars will be a battle between the Peugeot 205GTi of Lewis Davies/Tom Wood, the BMW 318 of Colin Evans/Harri Evans (Towy Waste) and the VW Polo of Martin Pendlebury/Lucie Gutteridge (Wilsons Auctions).
At the end of the rally, two young contenders from this year's championship will be announced as winners of a fabulous chance to work with the M-Sport World Rally Championship team as a weather crew on Rally Japan later this year.
The top scoring under 25 driver and co-driver after the Nicky Grist Stages, will have a unique opportunity to see how the M-Sport team works on an event, the chance to learn from team professionals and meet the current M-Sport drivers and co-drivers. Accommodation with the team and travel whilst at the event is included so the lucky pair will only need to cover their flight costs to Japan.
Othe awards within the Motorsport UK Pirelli Welsh Rally Championship include the David Stokes Historic Challenge award for drivers and the Guy Weaver award for co-drivers, Hockly Motorsport awards for 2WD and 1400cc and the 57 Tyres Welsh Challenge for drivers and co-drivers who have not finished in the top 10 overall on any round of the Pirelli Welsh Rally Championship or any equivalent status championship event. The Pirelli Welsh Rally Championship remains dedicated to helping develop young rally talent and with the support of OnThePaceNote and Restruct, the under-25 category continues to grow.
The remaining schedule for the Motorsport UK Pirelli Welsh Rally Championship is:
3 Jul 12 Nicky Grist Stages
4 Aug 30 Woodpecker Stages
5 Oct 25 Cambrian Rally
6 Nov 8 Wyedean Rally
Championship registration is now open and is available via: https://wnrc.wamc.org.uk
Issued by Paul Lawrence on behalf of the Motorsport UK Pirelli Welsh Rally Championship. Tel 07778 547918. For enquiries about the championship, please contact Bryn Pierce via e-mail:
50 PWRC CONTENDERS ALREADY ENTERED FOR NICKY GRIST
News from the Motorsport UK Pirelli Welsh Rally Championship
Thursday, June 5, 2025
50 PWRC CONTENDERS ALREADY ENTERED FOR NICKY GRIST
Another packed entry for the Pirelli Welsh Rally Championship will be a key feature of this year's Nicky Grist Stages on Saturday, July 12.
For the third round of the PWRC, 50 crews have already entered the popular Builth Wells-based event, and it is likely that more will join the entry list with five weeks still to go until the rally.
The Nicky Grist Stages, which runs on classic special stages in the Epynt region of mid Wales, is the mid-point of this year's Pirelli Welsh Rally Championship as it marks round three of six. With close to 140 entries across the entire event, it is also a strong indicator that forest rallying in Wales is back to very good health after a delayed start to the year due to the damage caused by Storm Darragh.
Two notable PWRC entries will join many of the championship regulars in search of more points in the season-long contest. Defending champion Matthew Hirst and co-driver Declan Dear will make their first PWRC start of the season in their Skoda Fabia R5 while former British Rally champion Osian price has also registered for the PWRC with his historic specification Ford Escort Mk2 from the Wales Motorsport team.
It all adds up to another superb field for the Pirelli Welsh Rally Championship, which will continue at the end of August with round four, the Woodpecker Stages based in Newtown.
Championship co-ordinator Bryn Pierce said: "I'm delighted that we've already got 50 registered crews entered for the Nicky Grist and I'm sure we have a few more still to come. It will be great to have Matthew Hirst back in the championship and we look forward to welcoming Osian Pryce to the PWRC."
Two young contenders from this year's championship will win a fabulous chance to work with the M-Sport World Rally Championship team as a weather crew on Rally Japan later this year.
The top scoring under 25 driver and co-driver after the Nicky Grist Stages on July 12, will have a unique opportunity to see how the M-Sport team works on an event, the chance to learn from team professionals and meet the current M-Sport drivers and co-drivers. Accommodation with the team and travel whilst at the event is included so the lucky pair will only need to cover their flight costs to Japan.
Other awards within the Motorsport UK Pirelli Welsh Rally Championship include the David Stokes Historic Challenge award for drivers and the Guy Weaver award for co-drivers, Hockly Motorsport awards for 2WD and 1400cc and the 57 Tyres Welsh Challenge for drivers and co-drivers who have not finished in the top 10 overall on any round of the Pirelli Welsh Rally Championship or any equivalent status championship event. The Pirelli Welsh Rally Championship remains dedicated to helping develop young rally talent and with the support of OnThePaceNote and Restruct, the under-25 category continues to grow.
The remaining schedule for the Motorsport UK Pirelli Welsh Rally Championship is:
3 Jul 12 Nicky Grist Stages
4 Aug 30 Woodpecker Stages
5 Oct 25 Cambrian Rally
6 Nov 8 Wyedean Rally
Championship registration is now open and is available via: https://wnrc.wamc.org.uk
Issued by Paul Lawrence on behalf of the Motorsport UK Pirelli Welsh Rally Championship. Tel 07778 547918. For enquiries about the championship, please contact Bryn Pierce via e-mail:
JUNIORS IN PWRC BATTLE FOR M-SPORT PRIZE
JUNIORS IN PWRC BATTLE FOR M-SPORT PRIZE
The under-25 contenders in the Motorsport UK Pirelli Welsh Rally Championship are currently battling for the chance to attend Rally Japan as a weather crew thanks to an amazing prize from M-Sport.
The top scoring under 25 driver and co-driver after the Nicky Grist Stages on July 12, will have a unique opportunity to see how the M-Sport team works on an event, the chance to learn from team professionals and meet the current M-Sport drivers and co-drivers. Accommodation with the team and travel whilst at the event is included so the lucky pair will only need to cover their flight costs to Japan.
After two of the season's six rounds, it is Liam Clark and Riley Chester who top the driver ranks while Jack Bowen has a handy lead in the co-drivers' table. However, it could all change on round three, the Nicky Grist Stages
U25 drivers' points after two rounds
1 Liam Clark 54
2 Riley Chester 32
3 Oliver Phillips 5
= Harri Reynolds 5
= Dylan Fowler-Bishop 5
U25 co-drivers' points after two rounds
1 Jack Bowen 25
2 Liam Jones 12
3 Harri Evans 10
4 Harry Walshaw 7
5 Jack Morris 5
Championship co-ordinator Bryn Pierce said: "The Nicky Grist is going to be a very important date for our under-25 contenders. There is everything to play for and the two top scorers after round three will receive an amazing opportunity to see just how a WRC team works. We are very grateful to everyone at M-Sport for making this award possible."
Othe awards within the Motorsport UK Pirelli Welsh Rally Championship include the David Stokes Historic Challenge award for drivers and the Guy Weaver award for co-drivers, Hockly Motorsport awards for 2WD and 1400cc and the 57 Tyres Welsh Challenge for drivers and co-drivers who have not finished in the top 10 overall on any round of the Pirelli Welsh Rally Championship or any equivalent status championship event. The Pirelli Welsh Rally Championship remains dedicated to helping develop young rally talent and with the support of OnThePaceNote and Restruct, the under-25 category continues to grow.
The remaining schedule for the Motorsport UK Pirelli Welsh Rally Championship is:
3 Jul 12 Nicky Grist Stages
4 Aug 30 Woodpecker Stages
5 Oct 25 Cambrian Rally
6 Nov 8 Wyedean Rally
Championship registration is now open and is available via: https://wnrc.wamc.org.uk
Issued by Paul Lawrence on behalf of the Motorsport UK Pirelli Welsh Rally Championship. Tel 07778 547918. For enquiries about the championship, please contact Bryn Pierce via e-mail:
PURCELL GRABS PIRELLI WELSH RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP VICTORY
PURCELL GRABS PIRELLI WELSH RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP VICTORY
Irish crew Andrew Purcell and Martin Brady made a very late call to contest the Plains Rally (Saturday May 17) in their Ford Fiesta Rally2 and came away with an event victory and maximum points in the Motorsport UK Pirelli Welsh Rally Championship.
As forest rallying made a very welcome return to Wales, the sun bore down on the stages of Alwen, Aberhirnant and Dyfnant to deliver a fast and very dusty rally for the second round of the Pirelli Welsh Rally Championship.
Purcell only decided to contest the event three days before as he sought further seat time and was a late registration for the PWRC. Despite struggling to find the right pace for the event, Purcell finished the day 10 seconds up on the similar Fiesta Rally2 of Liam Clark and Jack Morton, as Clark moved into the overall lead in the PWRC points.
Clark suffered a diff problem in the first run of Dyfnant, which he reckoned cost him around 10 seconds. The fact that Purcell's winning margin was also 10 seconds means that it could have been very close at the end of the day. Into a fine podium position came James Giddings/Aled Davies (Mitsubishi Lancer E9: Fordpad/Tandom/MetDem), after a typically storming drive while next in the Welsh points were historic contenders Dan Mennell/John Roberts (Mennell Motors/Pirelli/Speedline) who had a tremendous day despite Mennell injuring his wrist when it was caught in the steering wheel. A bag of frozen peas, bought from a small village shop on a road section, helped get him through to the finish.
Back in the four-wheel-drive section of the rally, David Tomlin/Keith Ashley (Ford Fiesta R5: Axon Commercial Catering Equipment) and Bob Morgan/Adrian Williams (Skoda Fabia R5: Winner Garage Skoda Cinderford) had a wonderful battle that was only settled on the final stage when Tomlin edged ahead by a single second after a great performance from both crews.
Half a minute back from them came Wug Utting/Bob Stokoe (Subaru Impreza: Utting Estates/Geoff Jones (Wales) Motorsport) while Jonathan Jones/Osian Owen had a good debut forest run in their Mitsubishi Lancer E10 to chase Utting home.
Finishing well on his gravel rally debut was Rob Morris with Paul Spooner alongside. This was only Morris's third rally after making the switch from off-road motorsport and he loved every minute of learning about his new Citroen C3 Rally2 in the forests. Wrapping up the PWRC scorers in Class 1 were Colin Minton/Jordan Joines (Ford Fiesta R5) and Paul Lomas/Mark Leader (Ford Fiesta R5: Plant Speed Ltd).
Giddings/Davies were clear winners in Class 2 from Jones/Owen while PWRC points were claimed by Peter Baylis/Paul Godden (Mitsubishi Lancer E9: Artificial Lawn Company), Rob Aslett/Ashley Aslett (Subaru Impreza) and Geoff Cottrill/Nathan Crewe (Mitsubishi Lancer E9: Cottrill Transport).
Andrew Fox/Jaime Lee-Fox (BMW 325: Fitzgerald Plant Services/ Severnside Defibs & Training) had a strong run in tough conditions to claim Class 3 but only by 48s from David Jones/Glyn Price (BMW E30), while Utting/Stokoe topped Class 4.
Riley Chester/Steve Davey (Ford Fiesta R2) continued their impressive season as Chester bagged more important PWRC points towards the M-Sport Under 25 Award.
Lee Robinson/Daniel Robinson (Ford Fiesta) were next up in Class 5 among the PWRC contenders.
A fine Class 6 victory went to Geoff Phelps/Colin Jenkins (Ford Escort Mk2: Cherry Rock Ltd/Dave Jenkins Motorsport). Next up were Jeremy Harris/Alexandra Harris (Kilcot Garage Ltd/PJW Construction/Gurneys Family Butchers) and Tim Phelps/Peter Wilson (Britpart) while Paul Gorge/Harriet Worth did well to guide their Mazda MX-5 though some demanding stages.
Martin Walters/Marie Fletcher (Honda Civic: Digger Parts Direct) had a very good day to scoop maximum PWRC points in Class 8 while a strong PWRC contingent in Class 9 finished in the order of Geraint Williams/Liam Jones (Vauxhall Nova: Gwynedd Skip and Plant Hire/GW Services/RG Hire Ltd/Ceir Seiont Cars/T D Plant Hire/Carafannau Ham), Adam Booth/Daniel Granger (Vauxhall Corsa), Dominic Hodge/Brian Cammack (Humphris Motorsport) and Joel Lewis/Jamie Mills (Peugeot 106: Bucknell Auto Services).
With a strong historic field for the event, notable class performances for PWRC points included those from the Ford Escorts of Chris Hellings/Glyn Thomas (Flat Crest), Hywel Davies/Sion Rowlands and Peter Hinton/Glenn Mercer (Yorkshire Garden Maintenance/Rallynuts), while the Volvo 244 of Darrell Denning/Alex Lewis (Genuine Cars and Classics/J&S Handling) topped Class H7 in style.
The pace in Class H8 was intense and leading the PWRC chase of Mennell were Ben Friend/Cliffy Simmons (Allglass Anglia), Rudi Lancaster/Guy Weaver and Robert Gough/Jack Bowen, with Gough dropping time in the early stages with a puncture.
Gareth Bevan/Craig Nelson (Freemans Bodyshop) were next up in H8 while a quartet of PWRC contenders battled all day in Ford Escorts and finished in the order Ron Morgan/Jordan Jones, Jeremy Wells/Martin Saunders, Lyn Davies/Aled Richards (57 Tyres) and Peter Jones/Gareth Davies. Finally, the Peugeot 205GTi of Paul Clayton/Veera Johnson (Retro, Race and Rally/PD Extinguishers) won Class H11.
Two young contenders from this year's championship will win a fabulous chance to work with the M-Sport World Rally Championship team as a weather crew on Rally Japan later this year.
The top scoring under 25 driver and co-driver after the Nicky Grist Stages on July 12, will have a unique opportunity to see how the M-Sport team works on an event, the chance to learn from team professionals and meet the current M-Sport drivers and co-drivers. Accommodation with the team and travel whilst at the event is included so the lucky pair will only need to cover their flight costs to Japan.
Awards within the Motorsport UK Pirelli Welsh Rally Championship include the David Stokes Historic Challenge award for drivers and the Guy Weaver award for co-drivers, Hockly Motorsport awards for 2WD and 1400cc and the 57 Tyres Welsh Challenge for drivers and co-drivers who have not finished in the top 10 overall on any round of the Pirelli Welsh Rally Championship or any equivalent status championship event. The Pirelli Welsh Rally Championship remains dedicated to helping develop young rally talent and with the support of OnThePaceNote and Restruct, the under-25 category continues to grow.
The remaining schedule for the Motorsport UK Pirelli Welsh Rally Championship is:
3 Jul 12 Nicky Grist Stages
4 Aug 30 Woodpecker Stages
5 Oct 25 Cambrian Rally
6 Nov 8 Wyedean Rally
Championship registration is now open and is available via: https://wnrc.wamc.org.uk
Issued by Paul Lawrence on behalf of the Motorsport UK Pirelli Welsh Rally Championship. Tel 07778 547918. For enquiries about the championship, please contact Bryn Pierce via e-mail:
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