The Probite British Rally Championship will tackle the biggest event of the year next weekend [30 Aug – 1 Sept], as the JDS Machinery Rali Ceredigion plays host to not only the UK’s premier rally series but also a round of the FIA European Rally Championship [ERC].
The popular Aberystwyth-based event features in the BRC roster for a third successive season, but 2024 marks the first time the ERC has graced British shores in many years and the two series will go head to head in a spectacular battle for glory and the top step of the podium.
The UK’s finest drivers will be up against some of the world’s elite crews, pitching themselves against the top-drawer protagonists with a three-day battle across the daunting Welsh moorland closed roads and a breathtaking 183km of flat-out special stages.
Such is the gravity of the weekend, there are two points scoring opportunities for BRC crews, with one set of points allocated after the completion of Saturday’s stages. Then, in terms of points only, clocks are re-set and a further opportunity to score is available on Sunday’s leg meaning the event could well be of the most pivotal of the season.
With many BRC1 crews electing to register for the ERC during the weekend, it opens up new avenues for the contenders as they get to experience a Free-Practice session and Qualifying on Friday morning which will determine their road position as the action gets underway on Friday evening with the Aberystwyth Street Stage.
The Junior BRC contenders will also join in the action on the International event, with the National Rally Title and Open Rally Title crews contesting the National event which runs straight after and such is the popularity of the rally, over 140 competitors from 14 different countries will take on the challenge.
The classes: BRC1
Just two weeks ago, the ultra-fast gravel of the Voyonic Grampian Forest Rally saw Chris Ingram give his Michelin-rubbered Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 the perfect BRC baptism with victory at round four in the Kincardineshire forests. He and Alex Kihurani held firm whilst all around them, the drama was unfolding.
His second top score of the season brought him to within one point of 2021 Junior BRC champion and 2023 Junior World Rally champion William Creighton. The M-Sport Ford driver still heads the standings with co-driver Liam Regan, but the Pirelli-shod Fiesta crew ran out of luck on more than one occasion in Scotland so will be aiming for redemption on the asphalt of Wales.
However, neither crew have tackled the event before, unlike two-time Ceredigion winner Osian Pryce. Pryce and co-driver Rhodri Evans retain their Fiesta Rally2 for the weekend and Pryce has the benefit of experience on the stages. But with a largely reformatted route and Europe’s elite to contend with, it’s a big ask to make it a hattrick.
Four-time BRC champion Keith Cronin is fresh from an Irish championship win in Ulster and added to his Grampian podium, could well be in-line to bolster his points tally, adding to his Jim Clark BRC victory. He and Mikie Galvin have also contested the Ceredigion previously, although that outing ended in a non-finish. They currently sit third in the standings and will play their Joker on the first of two points scoring opportunities.
But the arrival of the ERC on UK shores has attracted the attention of many former contenders and none other than three-time British Rally Champion Matt Edwards makes a dramatic return to the series for the event. Driving a Ford Fiesta Rally2, Edwards has been a front-runner in the Irish series this year, but with the lure of the ERC, the Welshman and co-driver David Moynihan have signed up to score – and could well trouble the BRC regulars.
But the returnees will have to deal with a host of BRC top-flight, including local aces James Williams [Hyundai i20 N Rally2], who plays his Joker on Sunday, as does Meirion Evans [Toyota GR Yaris Rally2]. Scotsman Garry Pearson also has the benefit of previous experience on the event, taking fifth overall in 2023, but will use his Fiesta Rally2 this time around. Also in a Fiesta, Elliot Payne is set to tackle his first International rally and will be eager to put his Jim Clark misery firmly behind him.
Junior British Rally Championship and BRC4
The race for the Junior BRC honours intensifies somewhat in Wales, as there is an outside chance that the title could be sealed if the stars aligned for Robert Proudlock. The Peugeot 208 Rally4 driver has enjoyed two gravel wins this season and a top score here would well see the crown go to Scotland with a round to spare.
But not if the likes of Ryan MacHugh [Fiesta Rally4], Kyle McBride [Peugeot 208 Rally4], and Keelan Grogan [Peugeot 208 Rally4] have anything to do with it.
A sensational line-up head for Ceredigion, bolstered by the Stellantis Motorsport Rally Cup and with Junior victory in 2023 on the event, it’s Welsh ace Ioan Lloyd [Peugeot 208 Rally4] that arguably starts as pre-event favourite. On stages just a few miles from home, Lloyd knows what it takes to tame the stages and will also bid for ERC glory, as will McBride.
Cian Caldwell [Fiesta Rally4] makes an appearance for the first time since the Severn Valley Stages and round one victor Kalum Graffin [Peugeot 208 Rally4] also returns after skipping the Grampian.
James Lightfoot upholds BRC4 honours but swaps his older generation Fiesta R2T for a Fiesta Rally4 for the weekend.
Open Rally Title & National Rally Title
Running alongside the International event, contenders in the Open Rally Title and National Rally Title categories will tackle the National section and its Callum Black [Fiesta Rally2] who heads the charge. The Jim Clark Rally Open winner will have BRC1 ace Neil Roskell [Fiesta Rally2] in hot pursuit who elects to score Open points this time around, although both will need to keep an eye on home-grown hero Kevin Davies who will line up in his Volkswagen Polo.
John Rintoul leads the championship standings in the Citroen C3 and will resume his battle with, John Morrison [Fiesta]. The pairing enjoyed a tit-for-tat stage time swap at the Grampian and are just seven points apart.
Yet another giant-killing performance from the Vauxhall Nova driver William Mains sees him in the lead of the National category heading into his home rally but will have double winner Darren Atkinson [Escort] to contend with in the Welsh Lanes.
Wayne Jones [Darrian], Nathan Evans [Clio] and Nathan Bolton [Mitsubishi] are among the challengers this time around.
Rali Ceredigion gets underway on Friday [30 August] with Free Practice and Qualifying for International crews, before a Rali Show and ceremonial start in Aberystwyth in the afternoon. The popular Street Stage enjoys a double run on Friday night.
Saturday hosts the bulk of the action with eight tests and 124km. Sunday’s four test blast rounds out the weekend, with a further 57km before the ceremonial finish back in Aberystwyth from around 15:00.
You can catch up with all the BRC action from Rali Ceredigion, broadcast on ITV4, ITV4+1 and ITVX on Wednesday 11th September at 20:00.
