The Motorsport UK British Rally Championship title fight will go down to the wire after a dramatic double-header at JDS Machinery Rali Ceredigion, with Meirion Evans, Max McRae and Osian Pryce all heading to the final round with a chance of lifting the coveted 2026 crown.
Pryce and co-driver James Morgan arrived in Ceredigion leading the British Rally Championship in their Michelin-shod Toyota GR Yaris Rally2, but it was Max McRae who struck first.
The Scot took Saturday’s fourth-round victory in his Pirelli-backed Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 to seize the championship lead, with a perfectly timed Joker nomination delivering valuable bonus points.
Then local hero Meirion Evans and Dale Furniss hit back spectacularly on Sunday, taking maximum points in their Yaris, with the result leaving McRae, Evans and Pryce separated by just two points and setting up a thrilling three-way title showdown at October’s Cambrian Rally.
McRae and co-driver Cammy Fair made the perfect start to their weekend, threading their Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 through Friday night’s darkness to establish a slender two-second lead over championship leader Pryce.
A bouncing lamp pod did little to unsettle the Scot, who held the advantage into the overnight halt, while Pryce moved into second ahead of Castrol MEM teammate Evans. Evans had been hampered by a poor road position after an overshoot during Qualifying, but quickly began to recover ground as daylight arrived.
The pace intensified on Saturday as crews tackled the demanding Welsh lanes in increasingly quick conditions, with every point carrying added significance in the championship battle.
Evans set the early pace, taking the opening stage win, before McRae responded on the first pass of Cwm Elan. With McRae out front, the Castrol MEM teammates were separated by just 0.1 seconds after the seventh test as the fight for victory intensified.
After the midday service, Pryce finally found the pace that had eluded him in the opening stages, setting back-to-back fastest times to slash McRae’s advantage to just 4.3 seconds.
But McRae held firm through the final two street stages in Aberystwyth to secure his second BRC victory of the season, adding to his Jim Clark Rally triumph and, crucially, moving two points clear of Pryce in the championship.
“It’s been a brilliant battle,” said McRae.
“Thanks to Osian for the fight, I’m sure there will be another one tomorrow. I think if it wasn’t for that crazy push in stage ten, we wouldn’t have done it. It’s been a big challenge, but we have really enjoyed it; can’t quite believe it’s gone so quickly, and we are getting ready for Sunday already. If we can do the same tomorrow, that would be great!”
Pryce settled for second and vital championship points, with Evans completing the podium. Sadly Sam Touzel’s international debut ended on the opening stage on Saturday with an off into a fence; the damage was too great to continue.
But with Sunday bringing a completely different challenge, the championship picture was far from settled.
Overnight rain made the narrow, bumpy Welsh lanes even more treacherous for the fifth and penultimate round, but Evans was undeterred. Having played his championship Joker, which added to his points haul for the round, the local driver knew he had to attack.
And attack he did.
Evans immediately stamped his authority on the day by setting the fastest time over the opening test, beating Pryce by more than three seconds while McRae conceded more than ten seconds to the Toyota driver.
Another scratch time on the second test extended Evans’ advantage to 17 seconds, but Pryce’s challenge came to an abrupt end when a gearbox issue forced him to pull over and retire.
The failure proved hugely costly, eliminating Pryce’s chance of securing the championship in Ceredigion and throwing the title fight wide open.
With just two stages remaining, Evans and McRae entered a straight fight for the round victory. But Evans’ aggressive opening loop had already done the damage.
Another fastest time over the penultimate test extended his advantage further, allowing the Welshman to enjoy a clean run through the final stage and claim his first full-distance BRC victory in spectacular style.
“This feels great,” said Evans.
“It looks like we picked the right day [to play his Joker], I didn’t really have any tactic for it; I just thought today it was close to home, and it would be nice to do it that way.
“We knew it would be all cards on the table for the championship; we had to win one of these days, and we managed to do that, so it gives us a chance going forward. We’ll give it a good go.”
McRae took second, while Pryce’s retirement ensured the championship would be decided at the final round.
The result leaves McRae, Evans and Pryce separated by just two points heading into the Cambrian Rally, setting up a thrilling three-way showdown for the 2026 British Rally Championship crown.
The final round switches the series back to gravel for its traditional curtain call in the forests of North Wales, where the championship will finally be decided.
BRC3
Kallum Graffin enjoyed a sensational return to the British Rally Championship, completing a double victory in BRC3 behind the wheel of their Ford Fiesta Rally3.
Graffin and co-driver Rhodri Evans immediately set the pace on Friday night, opening up a 38-second advantage over Aoife Raftery and continuing to dominate through Saturday, setting the fastest BRC3 time on all but one stage.
A puncture straight after service briefly interrupted his run, but his advantage was more than enough to secure his first BRC3 victory, adding to his Junior BRC victory on the East Riding Stages in 2024. The Young Irishman followed that up with a second win on Sunday’s stages, managing to stand on the overall BRC podium in the process.
Despite Graffin’s impressive return, it was Raftery who emerged as the big championship winner. Her consistent campaign and second-place finish in Ceredigion were enough to secure the BRC3 title with a round to spare, capping a remarkable season for the Irish driver.
Junzhe Tang and Tsung-yu Hsieh returned to the action on Sunday after retiring in Cwm Elan on Saturday and completed the BRC3 podium.
Junior BRC
The Junior BRC championship will also be decided at the Cambrian Rally after a dramatic weekend in Ceredigion.
Oran England announced himself in style on Saturday, taking victory on his series debut after producing a sensational afternoon charge in his Peugeot 208 Rally4 with Darragh Mullen alongside.
Trailing leaders Luke Constantine and Ifan Devine by more than 15 seconds heading into the daylight stages, England steadily reeled in the Opel driver before finally overhauling him on the final proper stage to secure a maiden Junior BRC victory.
Ben McFall and Damian McAuley completed the Saturday podium in their Fiesta Rally4, keeping the title fight finely balanced.
Sunday brought a very different story, however, as treacherous conditions caught out several crews in the International field and the Junior BRC contenders were unable to contest two of the day’s four tests competitively.
England became the first major casualty, going off under braking on the penultimate stage and suffering a heavy impact with a tree. The incident forced the stage to be red-flagged and left the Junior BRC battle to be decided over a single remaining test.
Constantine held his nerve to set the benchmark and claim maximum points, putting himself firmly back into contention for the title.
Danny Brady and Liam Egan secured their maiden Junior BRC podium in second in their Peugeot 208, whilst McFall completed the top three.
The result sets up a final-round duel between Constantine and McFall, with the Junior BRC champion to be crowned in the forests of North Wales.
National Rally Title
Alfie Hammond completed a remarkable weekend by taking back-to-back National Rally Title victories and, with it, sealing the championship with one round still remaining.
Hammond and co-driver Harry Walshaw had taken maximum points on Saturday after a dramatic final-stage sequence saw both Chris Richmond-Hand/Craig Nelson and Owen Paterson/Catrin Price retire on the Aberystwyth Street Stage.
Sunday brought further disappointment for Hammond’s title rivals, with neither Paterson nor Richmond-Hand making it back to the start of the final day’s stages.
The double victory therefore proved enough for Hammond to secure the National Rally Title ahead of the final round.
After a dramatic weekend that delivered two very different BRC rounds, the championship now heads north for its traditional season finale.
The Cambrian Rally will switch the series back onto gravel and provide the final test for the title contenders, with McRae, Evans and Pryce separated by just two points and a three-way battle set to decide the 2026 British Rally Championship.
The Junior BRC crown will also be decided, while the season’s final gravel encounter promises one last spectacular chapter in what has been a thrilling campaign.
-Ends
