Fourteen drivers head to the penultimate round of the Motorsport UK Pirelli Welsh Rally Championship still in with a chance of lifting the overall title - but that number will be whittled down on the Visit Conwy Cambrian Rally (Saturday 26 October) as the race for the title hots up in North Wales.
James Giddings/Aled Davies lead the all-gravel series in their Fordpad/Enva/Sar Metals Mitsubishi Evo 9 after two seconds, a third and a fourth place points scoring finish. They picked up fourth-placed championship points the last time they contested the Cambrian in 2022 and will be aiming for better this time as they attempt to extend their 15-point lead.
Russ Thompson/Stephen Link picked up maximum Pirelli Welsh points last time out on the Phil Price Memorial Woodpecker Stages and return to North Wales full of confidence and on great form. They beat their championship rivals last year to score their first Pirelli Welsh win since 2019 - the year in which they finished runner-up in the championship - and are more than capable of doing so again in their GPM/PD Extinguishers/The Inn Collection Mitsubishi Evo 9.
Matthew Hirst/Declan Dear remain on course for a record-breaking fourth Welsh title but with a ninth and a DNF sitting alongside two wins a strong finish is required to keep their title hopes alive. The defending champions were the fastest crew on the Woodpecker as they quickly got to grips with their new Delta Salvage/Witham Motorsport Å koda Fabia R5, although six minutes spent in a ditch on SS2 put paid to victory. Nothing less than inch perfect from now on will be key to winning the title again.
Dan O'Brien has an outside chance of lifting the title after finishing second on the opening Get Jerky Rally North Wales in a Fiesta RS WRC and third on the Nicky Grist Stages in a new Fiesta Rally2. Co-driven by Mark Glennerster, the O'Brien Group/Willow Hire backed driver will have victory at the forefront of his mind as he contests the event for the first time.
Colin Griffiths/Marc Morgan scored their best result of the season with fourth Pirelli Welsh points last time out in their Subaru Impreza STi. That put the Worcester driver in contention for both the overall and 57 Tyres Welsh Challenge titles, as he targets his first Pirelli Welsh podium result.
David Tomlin is having a great season too. The Axon Fiesta R5 driver missed out on a podium finish on Rally North Wales after a time-consuming off and was robbed of a good result on the Woodpecker thanks to a puncture. Co-driven by Keith Ashley, the Worcester driver will be keen to better this season-best fifth-placed Pirelli Welsh finish he had on the Nicky Grist Stages as he aims for that richly deserved podium.
Wug Utting/Bob Stokoe knows the North Wales stages like the back of their hands and will put all that experience to good use in their Geoff Jones Motorsport-prepared Subaru Impreza N12b. The Surrey driver is having another great season and is seventh in the overall standings.
Colin Minton's having an up and down year. Guided this time by Tom Törngren, the Swindon driver could easily break into the Pirelli Welsh top 10 if things go right in his Ignition Motorsport-prepared Tutts Clump Fiesta R5.
Adam Durston-Hillyer/Chris Davies took home a season-best seventh-place Pirelli Welsh points finish last time out in their Saulire PC Rally Team/MacWhirter Motorsport Mitsubishi Evo 9 - and they'll be looking for another top finish again.
Paul Lomas will be aiming for a good result in his smart self-built Plant Speed Subaru Impreza STi when he and co-driver Mark Leader contest the event - while last year's Welsh Challenge champions Martyn Andrews/Steve Greenhill return in their Opie Oils Subaru Impreza STi N12.
One of the stars of this year's series is Rudi Lancaster, who leads the highly competitive Historic W9 class and is an incredible second in the overall drivers' standings in his Woolacombe Bay Holiday Parks Escort RS18000 Mk2.
Co-driven by Guy Weaver, the North Devon driver will have a battle on his hands for class W9 supremacy against the likes of Robert Gough/Jez Rogers in another Escort Mk2.
There is a big battle for the W8 title, with Gary Smith/Clive Jones Escort RS1600 Mk1 leading by just four points - ahead of Andrew Stokes/Jonny Tad Evans in their Stokes Rally Team Ford Escort RS1600 Mk1. Jonathan Brace/Paul Spooner are third, a mere seven points further behind in their Dave Jenkins Motorsport-prepared Brace's Bakery Ford Escort RS1600 Mk1.
The top three finishers in each Historic class at the end of the season will be put forward for the David Stokes Historic Challenge award for drivers and the Guy Weaver award for co-drivers.
Lewis Hooper leads the OnThePaceNote / Restruct Welsh Junior class in what is turning into an exciting race for the title. Co-driven by Rhys Edwards, he'll be hoping to extend his 10-point lead as he tackles the event in his Hooper Sport Fiesta R2.
Second-placed Sam Mason will be looking for his first U25 win of the season when he and co-driver James Seymour contest the event in their SM Autocare Ford Fiesta,
while third-placed Luke Watts still has a chance of lifting the Junior title as he and co-driver Mark Twiname contest the event in their Ian Watts & Son/NJ Auto Repairs MG ZR.
Geoff Phelps/Colin Jenkins lead the Hockly Motorsport 2WD category as well as class W11 and the 57 Tyres Welsh Challenge and hope their tremendous season continues as they attack the stages in their wonderful Hartpury Farms/Sparkrite Escort Mk2.
They'll be pushed hard by the flying Iwan Roberts Jnr/Daniel Jones in their Roberts of Ffestiniog Escort G3, who used their rebuilt engine to good effect last time to win the class.
Wyn Hughes/David Davies and Simon Millington/Sam Kelter (both Escorts) will be after big W11 and 2WD points,
while Dan Chester/Steven Davey (Dan's Action Vehicles BMW E30),
Andrew Fox/Jaime-Lee Fox (Xwatch Safety Solutions BMW 325) and Gareth Humphreys/Adam Burkill (Mini Cooper S) will be aiming for top W12 2WD honours.
Defending W10 champions Martin Walters/Marie Fletcher (Digger Parts Direct Honda Civic) will resume their close battle with
Michael Jenkins/Jordan Joines (Tutts Clump Fiesta R2) as just 10 points separate them at the top of the class leaderboard.
Greg Mills/Andrew Sankey can't win the title, but they did win the class last time out in their 1.6-litre Toyota-engined Lake Vyrnwy Hotel Escort Mk2.
Meanwhile, Ashley Francis Adams/Mark Ammonds could secure the W2 title if they win in their PRC Cleaning/JFB Msport/Colliers MOT Nissan Micra.
Organised by North Wales Car Club, this year's Visit Conwy Cambrian Rally is almost 30% longer than last year and contains seven stages totalling 58.31 stage miles. Starting from Llandudno Promenade at 08:00, the morning's loop contains four stages (Elsi, Clocaenog, Brenig and Alwen) before a midday service halt at Ruthin Livestock Market. The afternoon contains a repeat run through Clocaenog, Alwen and Brenig, with the finish ceremony back on Llandudno Promenade from 17:20 onwards.
The Cambrian Rally will be live streamed on the free-to-view Pirelli Welsh Rally Championship's and Special Stage TV's Facebook pages during the event, plus the Special Stage YouTube channel featuring action from all the registered competitors.
During the 2024 season, the Pirelli Welsh Rally Championship will be raising awareness of its official charity partner The Osborne Trust.
For details about the Pirelli Welsh Rally Championship please visit: wnrc.wamc.org.uk.
Paul Evans
Press Officer, Motorsport UK Pirelli Welsh Rally Championship
Images by Paul Mitchell. Please credit 'Paul Mitchell Photography' if used.
paulmitchellphotography@gmail.
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