Rally and motorsport fans in the UK can rejoice as the national rally season opens this weekend. Fans will be headed to the forests of North Wales for the start of the 2020 British Rally Championship, the Visit Conwy Cambrian Rally, based in Llandudno. This event offers some of the most classic British rally stages for competitors and spectators to enjoy: Elsi; Gwydr; Penmachno, the Great Orme.
Starting the season with this one-day event of over 50 competitive miles (80km), the BRC entry list reads like a who’s-who of British rallying talent. The crew with the Number One plate on their doors are Matt Edwards and co-driver Darren Garrod, who are aiming for a hat-trick of BRC championship wins in 2020. For this, they’re competing in a brand-new M-Sport Ford Fiesta R5 Mk II. The local hero will not have it easy this weekend though, as his rivals are ready to do battle on the Welsh gravel stages.
Fellow countryman Tom Cave’s piloting a Hyundai i20 R5 this season with new co-driver Dale Furniss reading the pacenotes. This pairing will be among the hot favourites for victory here and for the overall championship title. This young pairing carries much experience and will be aiming for the top step of the podium too.
Setting the cat amongst the proverbial pigeons are fellow Welshmen Osian Pryce/Noel O’Sullivan (Hyundai i20 R5), returning to the BRC after a two-year absence. Pryce contested a number of rallies over the past two years, most notably taking second place in the iconic East African Safari Classic Rally with a Ford Escort Mk I. Pryce contested selected rounds of the FIA World Rally Championship in WRC2 Class in 2018 as well as rounds of the BRC. He’s a former winner of the Drive DMack Cup in 2016, and will surely be wanting to get one over his old rivals.
Irishman Josh McErlean – winner of the prestigious Billy Coleman Award in 2019 and reigning Junior BRC champion – steps up from the Junior BRC to use his prize funds to compete in the BRC with a Hyundai i20 R5 with co-driver Keaton Williams. He will have much to learn on his first competitive outing in an R5, but he’s shown tremendous skill thus far.
Ford and Hyundai will not have it all their own way in a two-way battle that will be intriguing in itself, but Proton returns to the BRC with factory support for Ollie Mellors/Ian Windress in an Iriz R5. Mellors has previously won the Cambrian Rally and the Proton is a major unknown: this is the dark horse for a strong result on the tree-lined stages this weekend.
Joining them will be James Williams/Dai Roberts, who are aiming to take the BRC’s top class by storm in the debut season in the four-wheel-drive class.
Rhy Yates and James Morgan, fresh from claiming fourth place in WRC2 in the FIA World Rally Championship’s season-opening Rallye Monte-Carlo last month, will contest the season in an M-Sport Ford Fiesta R5 MkII. They will be hoping to gain invaluable experience and insight into this car and these stages as used in part on the WRC’s Wales Rally GB.
Former Junior World Championship competitor Tom Williams will drive a Ford Fiesta R5 Mk I on his return to the British Rally Championship, bringing the experienced Jamie Edwards out of retirement to help guide this youngster through the Welsh forests.
Irishmen Cathan McCourt/Barry McNulty will take on the gravel of Wales this weekend in a Ford Fiesta R5 – the one that’s claimed the past four BRC championship title wins. The reigning Irish Forestry Champions will have much to learn on this event, but will be ready to pounce.
The entry list is 109 competitors strong, with 17 contesting British Rally Championship category, in which crews will battle out for the fastest stage times through seven special stages. What a season-opener it promises to be!
Hyundai vs Ford vs Proton in BRC 2020
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