Osian Pryce put himself back into contention for a second Probite British Rally Championship title after a sensational win at the second round of the season, the Rallynuts Severn Valley Stages .
Pryce would give co-driver Rhodri Evans his very first overall rally win with a storming drive in his Michelin-shod Ford Fiesta Rally2, overhauling early rally leader Chris Ingram to take victory by 20 seconds from William Creighton’s similar machine. Ingram rounded out the podium in his Volkswagen Polo GTi, blowing the title race wide open with two different victors in as many rounds.
It was Ingram and co-driver Alex Kihurani who took first blood, stopping the clocks just over three seconds faster than Pryce but from there on in, it was the Welshman who took control with a vengeance, winning each one of the remaining morning stages to head into service with almost 12 seconds in hand over Ingram.
Set-up changes in the wrong direction to Ingram’s Polo in service saw the leader fall back from the front runners into the clutches of Creighton and Liam Regan who were on a mission over the afternoon loop in their Pirelli-supported Fiesta Rally2. Two fastest times out of the block after service saw the Irishmen close in on Pryce, but it wouldn’t be enough.
Just to hammer home his authority on the Welsh stages, Pryce set the scratch time on the seventh and final stage to take his first BRC victory since Rally Yorkshire in 2022.
“It’s a big relief, I’m so happy to get the win today. We had a dodgy couple of stages at the end, and to be honest, it was so slippy, but I drove at a pace where I was comfortable,” said Pryce.
“I did lose some time, which in the end wasn’t too bad, but we certainly had some hairy moments just trying to keep it on the road. Credit to everyone who’s got me here. Top job from Rhodri today too, that’s his first-ever win!
Creighton was a very pleased second place on his gravel debut in the Fiesta. Having spent much of his season so far acclimatising to his new machine for the 2024 season, Creighton underlined his adaptability by keeping Pryce honest and taking his second BRC runner-up spot in as many events, ensuring he remains in the mix to potentially add a further title to his 2021 Junior BRC crown.
Ingram couldn’t quite get to grips with the Polo on gravel and as the rain descended in the forests during the afternoon, Ingram felt his pace ebb away. However, third spot means he still leads the championship and the hope of getting behind the wheel of a Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 for the next round.
Making his British rallying debut and embarking on his first competitive gravel outing, Jos Verstappen made the trip to Wales to sample the BRC in his Skoda Fabia R2 Rally2. With co-driver Renaud Jamoul alongside, the father of F1 superstar Max enjoyed his outing, despite the difficult conditions.
“We previously tested on gravel, or actually on sand, in the south of France” explained Verstappen.
“We really liked it, so started to look for a nice place for a rally on gravel, which is why we did the Rallynuts Severn Valley Stages. It was really difficult, but I enjoyed it. It was incredibly foggy during the first stages. Fortunately, the notes we had were good, but we had to build it up because we had never driven here before. It was a completely new challenge, totally different than what I am used to. But we went for it, and it was great.”
