Osian Pryce and James Morgan strengthened their position at the top of the 2026 Motorsport UK British Rally Championship standings with a composed and hard-fought victory at the Voly Grampian Forest Rally [7–8 August].
The Castrol MEM Rally Team pairing produced a masterclass in managing the challenges of one of Scotland’s toughest gravel rallies, overcoming pop-off valve issues with their Michelin-shod Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 to secure their second BRC victory of the season.
Pryce’s victory came after a weekend of high drama in the BRC field, with the Welshman eventually finishing more than 26 seconds clear of Max McRae and Cameron Fair, whilst Meirion Evans and Dale Furniss completed the BRC podium after an enthralling battle that saw second and third separated by just 1.3 seconds at the finish.
The result further extends Pryce and Morgan’s championship advantage and puts the Castrol MEM Rally Team crew in an enviable position heading into the next two BRC scoring opportunities at Rali Ceredigion.
The Grampian also provided a spectacular backdrop for a unique meeting of domestic and international rallying talent, with M-Sport Ford World Rally Team driver Jon Armstrong taking overall victory alongside Shane Byrne.
The former BRC round winner, although not registered for BRC points, produced a stunning fightback through Saturday’s stages to overhaul Friday overnight leader Romet Jürgenson, who was experiencing the challenge of running first on the road on Saturday and sweeping the gravel for those behind.
Armstrong ultimately held his nerve to claim what he described as an emotional first victory on gravel, with the pair’s Fiesta providing the overall benchmark for a field that also included FIA World Rally Championship leader Elfyn Evans and Lancia Rally2 pairing of Nikolay Gryazin and Yohan Rossel.
But while the overall victory went to the WRC stars, the BRC battle proved every bit as intense throughout the weekend. Pryce was forced to call upon all his experience from the outset. McRae made the early running in his Pirelli-supported Skoda Fabia RS Rally2, setting the fastest BRC time through the opening Durris test despite suffering a puncture towards the end of the stage.
His luck deteriorated further on the following test when two punctures left him with just two inflated tyres, forcing the young Scot to nurse his car through the remainder of the stage and surrender his early advantage. Pryce took full advantage, ending Friday’s action with an 11-second lead over MEM team-mate Evans.
Saturday morning saw McRae launch an immediate fightback, but Pryce refused to allow the pressure to affect his approach. With the pop-off valve problems rectified, the Toyota was back to full strength through the second loop and Pryce responded with two further BRC stage wins.
A final fastest BRC time on the rally sealed victory and maximum points for Pryce and Morgan.
“I’m happy with how this weekend has gone; we didn’t let the ego get in the way before this rally. I’m an old head now; I know what it takes to win this championship. We’re rowing our own boat and winning our own race this weekend was very important.
“Yes, we’d like to have been a bit closer [to the WRC drivers], but we know we can be there with just a few adjustments with the car so we can happily compete at the top level.
“The car has been good, a little bit for us to work on going forward; the team has been great, James has done another brilliant job and thanks to everybody as usual who gets us to these events.
“Roll on the next one, know how to win this championship, and also how not to.”
For McRae, second place represented another impressive performance and ensured the BRC title fight remains firmly alive.
After the frustration of Friday night, the young Scot came charging back on Saturday morning, recording three of the fastest BRC times on the opening loop, including two outright fastest times among the BRC contenders, and demonstrating that he could mix it not only with the championship regulars but with the WRC machinery at the sharp end.
Even a final-stage puncture could not derail McRae and Fair’s charge, although they crossed the finish just 1.3 seconds ahead of Evans and Furniss.
Evans once again demonstrated the consistency that has been a feature of his 2026 campaign, adding another podium to his two previous runner-up finishes.
The Welshman was unable to quite match McRae’s late charge but remains firmly embedded in the championship battle. With much of Evans’ recent experience coming on sealed surfaces, gravel continues to provide another area of development, but his confidence and consistency have ensured he remains a major contender for the title.
Garry Pearson and Hannah McKillop secured fourth in the BRC aboard their M-Sport Fiesta Rally2, while also taking victory in the Scottish Rally Championship, with Pearson clinching the title.
The pair produced some impressive times despite electing not to undertake a full recce to concentrate on their Scottish campaign. A puncture on the opening test dented their confidence, but they recovered to secure another valuable BRC championship score.
Ian Bainbridge completed the top five in BRC1 on his BRC debut, enjoying his first experience of a gravel recce as he and Rhodri Evans brought their Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 home to a positive result.
BRC3
Aoife Raftery continued her remarkable 2026 BRC campaign with another dominant BRC3 victory, with Ayrton Sherlock alongside.
The Fiesta Rally3 crew won every single BRC3 stage contested against Junzhe Tang and Tsungyu Hsieh, while also finishing fifth among the BRC crews and an impressive 12th overall.
It was another exceptional performance from Raftery on only her second visit to the Grampian, her first having come during her debut season in the sport in 2021.
With two wins from two starts before the event, the Grampian success means Raftery’s unbeaten BRC record continues in emphatic fashion.
Junior BRC / BRC4
The Junior British Rally Championship produced another dramatic weekend, with Luke Constantine taking a sensational maiden victory in his Opel Corsa Rally4.
Callum Atkinson initially looked set to control the BRC4 battle after building a 13-second advantage heading into Saturday. However, his impressive performance came to an abrupt end after the finish of the seventh stage when he and co-driver Nikki Addison left the road, becoming beached on a tree stump and forcing retirement for their Peugeot 208 Rally4.
That opened the door for Constantine, who had been Atkinson’s closest challenger and was embroiled in a close battle with a rejuvenated Sam Mason.
Constantine delivered a superb performance throughout Saturday, trading times with Mason while remaining conscious that reigning two-time Junior BRC winner Ben McFall was also hunting down the leaders.
The Irishman had admitted that the Scottish gravel was proving difficult to master as his Fiesta Rally4 failed to quite come together in the opening stages, but McFall steadily recovered his pace to move into second by the finish.
Constantine held firm to secure an emotional first Junior BRC victory, with McFall/McAuley taking second and Mason/Devine completing the podium.
National Rally Title
Owen Paterson and Catrin Price claimed their second National Rally Title victory of the season with a confident performance in their Subaru Impreza.
Paterson initially faced a strong challenge from fellow Subaru driver Alfie Hammond on Friday night, but Hammond’s hopes of victory suffered a major blow when he went into a ditch and lost almost two minutes.
That left Paterson with a significant advantage, which he managed through to the finish to secure his second win of the campaign.
Hammond refused to surrender, producing a remarkable fightback by winning nine of the rally’s ten stages. However, despite his pace, the deficit proved too great to overcome.
Tom Riordan and Richard Wardle completed the National Rally Title podium in their Ford Puma.
The next round will see Britain’s leading rally crews go head-to-head with the regulars of the FIA European Rally Championship on the demanding Welsh asphalt of Rali Ceredigion in September, with two championship points-scoring opportunities available.
