This summer’s Nicky Grist Stages will now host a total of eight prestigious rally championships – and include a lucrative tyre incentive courtesy of Cooper Tires – when the event comes to Builth Wells on Saturday 10 July.
The Welsh Historic Rally Championship is the latest series to add the Nicky Grist Stages as a points-scoring qualifying round. It had been its reserve event, but has now been given full championship status.
This means that the 2021 Nicky Grist Stages, organised by Quinton Motor Club, will host a round of the British Rally Championship, MRF Tyres BTRDA Rally Series, Motorsport UK Pirelli Welsh Rally Championship, Motorsport UK National Rally Championship, Motorsport UK English Rally Championship in association with Seacon UK Ltd, ANWCC Forest Rally Championship, HRCR Rally Masters Stage Championship, the Welsh Historic Rally Championship and the ANWCC Forest Rally Championship.
Cooper Tires will offer 12 prize winning tyres to support and promote its range of competition forest gravel tyres at this year’s event, applicable to any participant (in any class) running Cooper Rally product for the duration of the event.
There is also a change in the rally route schedule, with the popular Monument stage replacing Route 60 – owing to the resurfacing work undertaken two years ago still needing time to settle.
This means that approximately 45 miles of stages will be run in Crychan, Halfway, Llyn Login and Monument forests, with a loop of four stages run in the morning and then repeated in the afternoon, following a mid-day service halt in Builth Wells.
The event will be based in Builth Wells, with the start and finish ceremonies held in the town centre, the service area located on the Builth Wells RFC pitch and rally headquarters in Strand Hall on Strand Street.
The event, held on both Natural Resources Wales and Military of Defence land on and around the famous Epynt military range, has been given the go ahead by the MOD. And whilst the signs remain positive, and Quinton MC presses on with its plans to run a safe and Covid-19 complaint event, whether the rally takes place or not depends on both central and devolved government Covid-19 guidelines nearer the time.
Neil Cross, Nicky Grist Stages Clerk of the Course, said: “We have received a lot of very positive news this week. Firstly, the MOD confirmed that this year’s Nicky Grist Stages can run on the Epynt military range on Saturday 10 July, and we have agreed a route with them that sees the very popular Monument stage included in the 2021 itinerary. Secondly, we have been given full Welsh Historic Rally Championship status, meaning that we’ll host a round of eight major championships, and thirdly we have agreed a fantastic all classes tyre incentive with Cooper Tires, that will see prizes awarded to successful crews using Cooper Rally forest gravel tyres. It’s all looking extremely promising and we’re pressing full speed ahead with our planning in anticipation of central and devolved government Covid-19 guidelines allowing us to run a safe and Covid-19 complaint event.”
Nicky Grist said: “I am sure that, like me, you are all delighted to hear positive news about rallying that is hitting social media about this summer’s Nicky Grist Stages. For such a long time we have seriously missed our fix of adrenalin when it comes to rally cars competing in a forest, but it is not far away now!
“The organising team of the Nicky Grist Stages are full steam ahead in organising the 2021 edition of the event. Clerk of the Course Neil Cross is putting together an exciting route, with news that the Monument stage will replace Route 60, as the road repairs there have not gone to plan and they are nowhere near good enough for it to be used this year. This means that we will still have four classic forest stages for you all to let your talents flow, and I look forward to seeing you all in July.”
The 2021 Nicky Grist Stages event regulations will be published on nickygriststages.co.uk in mid-May.
Event enquiries, please contact:
Neil Cross (Clerk of the Course): clerk@nickygriststages.co.uk
Helena Mayall (Secretary of the Meeting): secretary@nickygriststages.co.uk
Bob Cross (Entries Secretary): entries@nickygriststages.co.uk
Ian Evans (Chief Marshal): marshals@nickygriststages.co.uk
