Having finished a magnificent 1-2 on the opening round of the British Rally Championship, Castrol MEM Rally Team crews Osian Pryce/James Morgan and Meirion Evans/Dale Furniss aim to strengthen their advantage at the top of the drivers’ and teams’ standings as they tackle the first asphalt round of the season, the Borders Competitions Jim Clark Rally (22/23 May), in their Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 cars.
Last month’s Severn Valley Stages proved to be an outstanding team debut for Osian, who led the gravel event from start to finish. The 2022 British Rally Champion is equally effective on asphalt, with memorable performances including two victories on Rali Ceredigion (in 2019 and 2023). But having not finished the Jim Clark Rally since coming home runner-up in 2014, the 33-year old Machynlleth-born driver will be hoping to finally overturn that bad luck, score a strong result and maintain his BRC lead.
Osian will arrive at the Jim Clark fresh off the back of a class winning run on the Rallye d’Antibes Côte d’Azur. There’s an enormous difference between battling for BRC victory in a modern Rally2 car in Scotland and contesting a round of the FIA European Historic Rally Championship in an Escort Mk2 on the French Riviera, but it will at least allow Osian to arrive competition match fit.
One of his biggest rivals for victory this weekend will be his team-mate. Meirion scored maximum BRC points on last year’s Jim Clark Rally, but there was nothing to celebrate following the tragic accident that claimed the life of his friend Dai Roberts.
In recent years Meirion has been developing his skills on gravel, to the point where he is now challenging for victory on the loose every time. That said, the 30-year old Lampeter driver’s pedigree lies on asphalt, and it’s on sealed surfaces where he has secured the majority of his major career wins – including the Galway International Rally (2023), Ulster Rally (2022) and the Hills Ford Stages and Argyll Rally (2021).
Meirion led the Carlow Stages Rally last weekend, which was his first asphalt event since Rali Ceredigion last September. He eased off when the rain arrived for the final loop, and left Ireland happy with a strong pre-Jim Clark shakedown test in the Yaris Rally2.
With four stages on Friday (22 May) night (two at sunset and two in complete darkness) and a further six stages in the daylight on Saturday (23 May), the near 100 stage mile Jim Clark Rally will be a tough test – whether you’re an asphalt expert or not.
Osian Pryce said: “I’ve not got the greatest record on the Jim Clark Rally, so for me this weekend will be a case of keeping our heads down and doing the best we can. I haven’t got any expectations heading into the event, other than to try and score some solid BRC points.
“We’ll try to win if we can, but having learnt how to drive the Toyota on gravel for round one we’ve got to start the process all over again for asphalt. We’re going to have a very brief test on Thursday morning, just to try a couple of things and have a familiarisation run before the official shakedown. It’ll only be a couple of miles, but it will be better than going in blind.
“There are some quick drivers competing this weekend and none more so than Meirion, who is really dialled into the Yaris. He’ll be one to watch for sure.”
Meirion Evans said: “Rali Ceredigion last year was my last event on asphalt, so it was good to go to Carlow last weekend and have a run. I was quite happy, and everything felt very normal again. The weather played havoc for the last loop and obviously with our main focus being this weekend’s Jim Clark Rally, we didn’t take any risks and eased off. The team wouldn’t thank me if they had to repair a damaged car in a three-day turnaround, and that was more important than winning in Ireland.
“We were quite strong on the Jim Clark last year, so I’m hoping we can do the same again this year. That’s the plan. We have to be looking to win the rally, but there will be plenty of other guys wanting to do the same.
“The weather forecast looks good, which will be useful because it will give us similar conditions to last year. The car worked very well then, so hopefully it will just be a case of using the same set up and leaving me to concentrate on my driving. That said, running first car on the road, a bit of wet weather might not do us any harm in terms of giving us a cleaner road. Either way, and all things considered, we’re hoping to have a strong run this weekend.”
Image: Gavin Woods
