The opening round of the 2016 MSA British Rally Championship takes place in Newtown. Using stages that form an integral part of Wales Rally GB, the World Rally Championship round this will prove to be a real test to the start of everyone’s campaign.
Starting on Saturday night with two stages in the dark, this is no gentle bed into the new rallying season.
Osian Pryce gives an insight to the stages; “the stages are familiar because of Rally GB but the likes of Pikes Peak, up by the wind farms is quite something. It is a couple of things, it is so steep you don’t think you are going that fast and then the road is SO wide that you feel you can showboat or play around. All of that costs you time, you have to very much stick to the line.”
“As the trees and markers are so far away from the road, you don’t get a sensation of speed. That is until you arrive at a slow section and you need two feet on the brake pedal to slow you down!”
“All of the stages here are special. Hafren is an all time classic; really tight in places, really fast in others but it can have a greasy surface that you have to watch. Mid-Wales is going to really start BRC for 2016.”
5 March 2016
6 March 2016
Mid Wales Stages
Gravel
6
71 miles
Newtown
71