Rali Bae Ceredigion/Cardigan Bay Rally - 2-3 Sep 23

Rali Ceredigion comes to town as the BRC heads for Wales

Posted: September 1, 2023 10:11 AM

Less than two weeks after the Motorsport UK British Rally Championship disembarked from the Modern Tyres Ulster Rally, the series hotfoots it to Wales for the first time this season as the JDS Machinery Rali Ceredigion [2-3 September] plays host to the final asphalt round of 2023.

Coupled with lashing rain and storm-force winds, the challenging lanes around Newry tested the BRC contenders to the limit last time out, but they will be unable to rest easy this time around either, as Ceredigion’s bumpy, moorland roads will undoubtedly provide one of the toughest encounters of the season so far.

After making its way into the hearts of the BRC crews in 2022, the Aberystwyth-based closed-road event is likely to be a tougher proposition this time around, with an extended offering of just over 100 miles of competitive action, spread across two, long days.

With eyes on inclusion in the FIA European Rally Championship in the future, the popular event retains its fan favourite Aberystwyth street stage, complete with M-Sport's impressive Ford Puma Rally1 carrying out demonstration runs with Matthew Wilson behind the wheel during Saturday evening. The test sees crews blast through the town centre in front of packed-out crowds, but that would be assuming they had survived the 54 miles preceding the super special earlier in the day.

One certainty however, is that there will be a new crew standing on top of the BRC podium for the first time this season as current leaders Adrien Fourmaux and Alex Coria have elected to skip the event due to their FIA World Rally Championship commitments.

The French pairing will be in Greece to continue their WRC2 campaign, leaving the door open for the chasing contenders to take valuable maximum scores away from the weekend. After missing Ulster, James Williams and Dai Roberts make a welcome return to the series, albeit swapping their Fiesta Rally2 for their tried and tested Hyundai i20 for the Welsh tar.

Williams enjoyed second place on this event in 2022 and led the BRC contingent after the opening day before being overhauled by eventual champion Osian Pryce, so is certainly after redemption this time around. Ironically, Pryce also returns to the rally with the aim of taking the win after a rollercoaster of a season in the ERC, although he has elected not to register for BRC points on his domestic reappearance.

Fresh from second place across the Irish Sea, Garry Pearson has moved into second in the standings and Fourmaux’s closest challenger so far. A measured drive in his Volkswagen Polo GTi saw him improve his pace across the weekend in Ulster and could well be in a prime position to take a maximum score. He retains the services of Daniel Barritt in the co-driver’s seat and Pearson secured fifth overall on the event in 2022.

The Junior British Rally Championship fight is looking like it's heading for another photo finish towards the end of the season and leading the current fight is Ulster winners Kyle White and Sean Topping. The Peugeot 208 Rally4 pairing have taken three wins so far this year but haven’t escaped trouble and there are other eager hard chargers waiting in the wings to take advantage.

Kyle McBride will play his Joker in Wales, offering up to five additional points on his score should he and Liam McIntyre take the top spot in their Fiesta Rally4. Just 18 points are separating McBride from White so every point counts at this stage.

Ioan Lloyd and Sion Williams returned to the series in Ulster and opened up an early lead in their Peugeot 208 Rally4 before a power issue forced them back into service early. However, a clean run on what is their home stages could well see them taking a maiden Junior BRC win.

Almost still waiting for the paint to dry, National Rally Title contender Alan Carmichael will start Rali Ceredigion with a brand new steed, as he takes delivery of a new Hyundai i20 N Rally2 from the factory in Germany.

Not only will the Northern Irishman have to contend with the new machinery, but he will also have to cope with the swap to left-hand drive, his previous i20 having been converted to right-hand drive to suit his driving style. Carmichael and co-driver Claire Williams will undoubtedly take a few stages to bed in and find a set-up that suits the bumpy Welsh roads.

Tackling his first National event of the season, William Mains brings his impressive Vauxhall Nova back to the series after an strong debut year in 2022. Mains has been out of action for the first half of the year but returns to his home rally with Tomos Whittle in the co-driver’s seat.

After the ceremonial start and autograph session in Aberystwyth town on Friday night, the action gets underway on Saturday with eight, action-packed stages in store, including a double run over the infamous 17-mile Cwm Ystwyth test.

Sunday houses six tests and 45 competitive miles before the champagne celebrations on the Aberystwyth seafront later that afternoon.

Seeded Entry List

Posted: August 29, 2023 8:54 AM

1 Osian PRYCE Stephane PREVOT (VW Polo GTi R5) [RC2]
2 James WILLIAMS Dai ROBERTS (HYUNDAI i20 Rally2) [RC2]
3 Meirion EVANS Jonathan JACKSON (VW Polo GTi R5) [RC2]
4 Callum BLACK Jack MORTON (FORD Fiesta Rally2) [M5]
5 James FORD Neil SHANKS (CITROEN C3 Rally2) [M5]
6 Garry PEARSON Daniel BARRITT (VW Polo GTi R5) [RC2]
7 Kevin DAVIES Owain DAVIES (VW Polo GTi R5) [M5]
8 Steve WOOD Kenny HULL (CITROEN C3 Rally2) [M4]
9 Neil ROSKELL Andrew ROUGHEAD (FORD Fiesta Rally2) [M5]
10 Mark KELLY Will ATKINS (SKODA Fabia R5) [M5]
11 Alan CARMICHAEL Claire WILLIAMS (HYUNDAI i20 R5) [M5]
12 Andrew PURCELL Shane BUCKLEY (VW Polo GTi R5) [RC2]
14 Andy DAVIES Michael GILBEY (FORD Fiesta R5) [RC2]
15 Dylan DAVIES Llion WILLIAMS (SKODA Fabia R5) [R1]
16 Gwyndaf EVANS Peredur DAVIES (FORD Escort Mk2) [M5]
17 Ieuan EVANS Dafydd EVANS (FORD Escort Mk2) [M5]
18 Stefan DAVIES Dafydd-Sion LLOYD (FORD Escort Mk2) [M5]
19 John DALTON Gwynfor JONES (DARRIAN T90 GTR) [M5]
20 Huw JAMES Lewis SIM (FORD Escort) [M5]
21 Jason PRITCHARD Phil CLARKE (FORD Escort Mk2 RS1800) [H1]
22 Kyle WHITE Sean TOPPING (PEUGEOT 208 R2) [R1]
23 Ioan LLOYD Sion WILLIAMS (PEUGEOT 208 R2) [RC4]
24 Darren ATKINSON Matthew DANIELS (FORD Escort) [M5]
25 Neil WILLIAMS Eurig DAVIES (FORD Escort) [H1]
26 Wayne JONES Elgan DAVIES (DARRIAN T90GTR) [M5]
27 William HILL Richard-Morton CROZIER (FORD Fiesta Rally3) [RC3]
28 Richard CLEWS Carl WILLIAMSON (SUBARU Impreza STi) [M5]
29 Will ROWLANDS Emyr HALL (FORD Escort Mk2 RS1800) [H1]
30 Kyle MCBRIDE Liam MCINTYRE (FORD Fiesta Rally4) [RC4]
31 Brad COLE Jamie VAUGHAN (FORD Escort Mk2) [M5]
32 Gary THOMAS Linda THOMAS (FORD Escort) [M5]
33 Ben CRUMP Ian BEAMOND (FORD Escort) [M3]
34 Rory MC CANN Paul MC CANN (HONDA Civic) [M4]
35 Casey-Jay COLEMAN Lorcan MOORE (FORD Fiesta) [RC4]
36 Will ONIONS Dave WILLIAMS (FORD Escort RS) [H1]
37 Rob SMITH Alun COOK (FORD Escort RS) [H1]
38 Rhys-Wyn DAVIES Gerwyn JAMES (DARRIAN GTR+) [M5]
39 Lee HASTINGS Cole HASTINGS (SUBARU Impreza) [M5]
40 Steve KNIBBS Gerwyn BARRY (SUBARU Impreza) [M4]
41 Chris FORD Neil COLMAN (CITROEN C3 Rally2) [RC5]
42 #ForCraig In memory of Craig Breen
43 Anth EATON Ian JACKSON (FORD Fiesta R5+) [M4]
44 Mike ENGLISH Andy ROBINSON (FORD Fiesta Rally2) [M5]
45 Huw JEFFREYS Avarina JEFFREYS (SUBARU Impreza) [M5]
46 Steven-Ormond SMITH Callum YOUNG (MITSUBISHI Lancer Evo IX) [M5]
47 Mark LENNOX Claire LENNOX (FORD Escort) [R1]
48 Hywel DAVIES Dorian EVANS (FORD Escort Mk2 RS1800) [H1]
49 Phillip ROGERS Sion JONES (FORD Escort Mk2 RS1800) [H1]
50 Barry-Stevenson WHEELER John PICKAVANCE (FORD Escort Mk2 RS1800) [H1]
51 William MAINS Tomos WHITTLE (VAUXHALL NOVA) [M1]
52 Michael HARBOUR Ian MACDOUGALL (FORD Escort MK2) [M4]
53 Aled-Wyn MORGANS Daniel PETRIE (FORD Escort MK2) [M5]
54 Irfon RICHARDS Daniel JONES (FORD Escort Mk2) [M4]
55 Arwel PARRY Robbie SANDFORD (SUBARU Impreza) [M4]
56 Jonathan DAVIES Sion ROWLANDS (PEUGEOT 207) [M2]
57 James NICHOLLS David ALLMAN (PEUGEOT 205 GTI) [M4]
58 Jonathan STEPNEY Aled DAVIES (RENAULT Clio) [M4]
59 Richard WILLIAMS Alan JAMES (FORD Escort MK2) [R1]
60 Philip MILLS Iwan MILLS (FORD Escort MK1 Twin Cam) [H1]
61 Ceri JONES Dylan BARGATE (FORD Escort) [R1]
62 Sean JONES Nathan SUMMERS (VAUXHALL Astra) [R1]
63 Grant SHAND Ginny SHAND (FORD Escort RS) [H1]
64 Geoff ROBERTS Jack BOWEN (FORD Escort Mk2 RS1800) [H1]
65 Graham MUTER Steve HALLMARK (FORD Escort RS2000) [H1]
66 Matthew CURZON Gareth SHORT (FORD Escort) [M3]
67 Nicky COWPERTHWAITE Helen HALL (OPEL Corsa) [M1]
68 Berwyn EVANS Ifan DEVINE (FORD Escort Mk2) [M5]
69 Meilir DAVIES Dylan THOMAS (FORD Escort Mk 2) [M3]
70 Eifion THOMAS Dewi DAVIES (FORD Escort MK1 RS2000) [H1]
71 Hugh-Geraint JONES Sion CUNNIFF (FORD Escort) [M5]
72 Malcolm ATHERTON Jamie ATHERTON (FORD Escort MK2) [M5]
73 Phil JONES Ryan GRIFFITHS (FORD Escort) [M4]
74 Dafydd WILLIAMS Andrew DAVIES (CHRYSLER Sunbeam) [M3]
75 Colin DAVIES Lucy WILDING (FORD Escort RS2000) [R1]
76 Jack BRENNAN John MCGRATH (RENAULT Clio) [RC5]
77 Mike PUGSLEY Marc CLATWORTHY (FORD Escort Mk1) [M3]
78 Aeron EVANS Donald JAMES (FORD Escort) [M4]
79 Antony ALLERY Richard BONNER (FORD Escort) [M4]
80 Liam KELLIHER Guto-Ifan WILLIAMS (HONDA Civic) [R1]
81 Aoife RAFTERY Ronan COMERFORD (FORD Fiesta R2) [RC4]
82 Geoff GLOVER Keith BARKER (VAUXHALL Astra Mk III (RWD)) [M4]
83 Martin ROSSITER Ian DAVIS (FORD Escort) [H1]
84 Ricky REYNOLDS Hefin JENKINS (FORD Escort MK2) [R1]
85 David-Andrew DAVIES Andrew REES (SUBARU Impreza) [M4]
86 Ian JARVIS Paul TRAIN (MITSUBISHI Lancer EVO9) [M4]
87 Owen EDWARDS Daniel THOMAS (CITROEN S1600 Saxo) [M2]
88 Keith DANIELS Andrew MILLINGTON (VAUXHALL Corsa) [M1]
89 Gethin PRICE Steven BROWN (NISSAN Micra) [M1]
90 Tim JOHNSON Roger BURKILL (HONDA Civic) [M2]
91 Richard-Owen MORGANS Daniel JOHNSON (FORD Escort MK2) [M5]
92 John BRAY Fiona CRUMP (LOTUS Elise) [M2]
93 Chris JONES Richard EVANS (GILBERN MK3 Invader) [M4]
94 Mark JONES Tom RENDELL (GILBERN Genie) [M5]
95 Nick HEARD Oliver MATHISON (GINETTA G40) [M4]
96 Peter LEWIS Joshua WESTON (FORD Escort) [M5]
97 Paul JENKINS Lucie GUTTERIDGE (FORD Escort MK2) [R1]
98 Gareth PARRY Lewis GRIFFITHS (PEUGEOT 205) [M3]
99 Gary OLLERENSHAW Rhys WILLIAMS (PEUGEOT 206) [M1]
100 Bob MORRIS Dil JOHN (FORD Escort) [H1]
101 Chris EVANS Neil SPIERS (SUZUKI Swift) [M2]
102 Jonathan DAVIES Dylan DAVIES (PEUGEOT 206 GTI 180) [M4]
103 Andrew SCOTT Ian ROBERTSON (FORD Escort MK2) [M5]
104 Mal BOYD Harry STUBBS (FORD Escort) [M4]
105 Rob RICHARDS Teresa BUTLER (PAUGEOT 106 Rallye) [M2]
106 Jeremy PACKER Glyn THOMAS (FORD Fiesta R2T) [RC4]
107 James EVANS Marc HUGHES (FORD Escort MK2) [M3]
108 John ROSSITER Iestyn PYNN (FORD Escort) [R1]
109 George MARTIN Jack BEAN (LAND ROVER Defender Wolf XD) [M5]
110 Danny HEDGES Ben HALL (LAND ROVER Defender) [H1]
111 Keith HARVEY Josephine HARRIS (LAND ROVER Defender) [M5]
112 Benjamin SHACKLETON Micheal HURLEY (LAND ROVER Defender) [M5]

Rally Guide / Regulations / Entries Open Fri 28 Jul @ 6pm

Posted: July 26, 2023 5:05 AM

Rali Bae Ceredigion/Cardigan Bay Rally (Closed Road)