Elfyn Evans and co-driver Craig Parry have been seeded at number one for this weekend’s Quinton Motor Club organised Nicky Grist Stages – which starts from the Royal Welsh Showground in Builth Wells this Saturday (9 July).
The DMACK British Rally Team crew lead the MSA British Rally Championship, and they’ll be the first away in their Ford Fiesta R5 when the two-day rally festival gets underway. BRC crews fill the top 10, with CA1 Sport stable-mates Fredrik Åhlin/Morten Abrahamsen (Ford Fiesta R5) and David Bogie/Kevin Rae (ŠKODA Fabia R5) seeded at two and three, Spencer Sport’s Tom Cave/James Morgan (Ford Fiesta R5) seeded at four and the 2013 Nicky Grist Stages winners Euan Thorburn/Paul Beaton (Peugeot 208T16) seeded at five.
A magnificent 11 car DMACK Junior BRC entry has been received, with Scottish Rally winners Sindre Furuseth/Jim Hjerpe (Renault Twingo R2) the top seeds.
Plains Rally winners Julian Reynolds/Patrick Walsh are the top seeded Ravenol BTRDA Rally Series crew at number 11 in their ex-Marcus Gronholm 2006 Wales Rally GB winning Focus WRC. Pirelli MSA Welsh Forest Rally Championship leaders Luke Francis/John H Roberts, who won the recent Severn Valley Stages, are seeded at 12 in their Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX, while BTRDA Gold Star leaders Charlie Payne/Carl Williamson (Ford Fiesta) will start at number 14.
An amazing 20 different car manufacturers are represented on the entry list.
The closing date for entries is tomorrow (5 July), and the full seeded entry list can be found in the Competitors’ section of nickygriststages.co.uk.
Teams will arrive in Builth Wells on Friday (8 July) for technical scrutineering, before attending a route briefing and rally forum in Rally Headquarters – which is the Hafod A Hendre building inside the Royal Welsh Showground (adjacent to the Service Area). Crews will face 45 miles of competition on gravel on Saturday 9 July, while the BRC continues the next day with a further 60 miles over the famous Tarmac stages of the Epynt military range.
Neil Cross, Nicky Grist Stages Clerk of the Course, said: “With such a fantastic entry across all the championships, the action this weekend will be fast and furious. We are looking forward to welcoming everyone to the Royal Welsh Showground in Builth Wells on Friday, for the start of what promises to be a fantastic rally. We understand it may be possible for one or two of the championship titles to be settled this weekend as well, and we wish everyone a good safe rally.”
Nicky Grist said: “We are in for a real treat this weekend! With the mixture of the leading BRC and BTRDA crews, the pace will be fierce for the lead from the word go. While I am sure the crews will be looking forward to it, I think the spectators will be more so. The fabulous vantage points on the route will make the spectacle come alive.”
Nicky Grist Stages – Top 10 Starters
- Elfyn Evans /Craig Parry (Ford Fiesta R5)
- Fredrik Åhlin/Morten Abrahamsen (Ford Fiesta R5)
- David Bogie/Kevin Rae (ŠKODA Fabia R5)
- Tom Cave/James Morgan (Ford Fiesta R5)
- Euan Thorburn/Paul Beaton (Peugeot 208T16)
- Josh Moffett/John Rowan (Ford Fiesta R5)
- Desi Henry/Liam Moynihan (ŠKODA Fabia R5)
- Jonathan Greer/Kirsty Riddick (Citroën DS3 R5)
- Jamie Anderson/Ross Whittock (Ford Fiesta R5)
- Matt Edwards/Will Rogers (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX)
Regulations and entry forms are available in the Competitors’ section of www.nickygriststages.co.uk