Nicky Grist Stages wins Motorsport UK Pirelli Welsh Rally Championship ‘Rally of the Year’ award

The Nicky Grist Stages has won the prestigious Motorsport UK Pirelli Welsh Rally Championship’s ‘Rally of the Year’ award, as voted for by registered competitors.

 

The Speedsports Shield was presented to event organisers Quinton Motor Club at the annual Welsh Association of Motor Clubs gala prize giving.

 

Based in the centre of Builth Wells, with a ceremonial start on Strand Street, the service area on the Builth Wells RFC pitch, a champagne podium finish on the banks of the River Wye and gravel stages in the nearby forests of Llyn Login, Monument, Halfway and Crychan (allowing for minimal road mileage), the Nicky Grist Stages is a well-established and much liked round of the Pirelli Welsh Rally Championship – attracting one of the biggest championship entries of the season. 

 

“The Nicky Grist Stages is one of those events you see in the calendar and can’t wait for it to come around,” says triple and reigning Pirelli Welsh Rally Champion Matthew Hirst.

 

“It really rewards commitment right from the outset. The rally has started for the last few years on the Llyn Login stage, which features some of the biggest crests and jumps you will come across in British rallying. You sit on the start line of it looking in awe at the scale of the first jump, and it does focus the mind. The rest of the stage is quite open with good sightlines, which gives you confidence. 

 

“Crychan has a more traditional Welsh forest stage feel to it, with quite a few junctions and a nice flow. It’s also got some technical narrow bits under the trees which can bite. I find it helps to have some good pace notes and previous experience of Crychan – me and Dec [Declan Dear, co-driver] try to spend some extra time on the notes in here. 

 

“Halfway is a stage of two parts. The first section of the stage runs through a quarry which is quite wide, giving you confidence to move the car around and use all the space available. The stage then moves onto a stunning hillside section – at least to look at in photographs and less so as a crew focusing on the drop on the outside! Still, what a pleasure Halfway is to drive at speed, right on the edge at points it can feel a bit like being on a downhill ski slope. One corner just flows into the next and you can push properly hard all the way to the finish. 

 

“The last stage Monument was a highlight for me last year. We were fastest through here on both runs by a decent chunk. There are a few corners where you can take some interesting lines. The profile of the road tends to work for you with quite a lot of camber in places which means you can carry an extra few miles an hour. The icing on the cake was the much-anticipated return of the jump after the crossroads. I think as photos and videos show, it was a welcome return for both spectators and drivers. I spent quite a lot of time before the event discussing how I was going to attack it and to be honest it was just a case of seeing how it felt on the day. I think in hindsight we actually took it quite well with just a small lift on the approach and then back to full power before take-off to keep the nose up. The problem wasn’t with the landing, it’s stopping in time for the hairpin left 120 metres down the road with a small right kink just on the approach. 

 

“We had a great battle with Elliot Payne for the overall rally win on last year’s event. Fair play to him, he was on some pace and took the win by eight seconds. This didn’t detract from the day and I’m thoroughly looking forward to 2024’s running of the event.”

 

Quinton Motor Club and the team behind the Nicky Grist Stages are delighted to be awarded the prestigious Best Event Award in the 2023 Motorsport UK Pirelli Welsh Rally Championship,” said Neil Cross, Clerk of the Course for the Nicky Grist Stages

 

We strive to put on the best event possible and knowing it’s been appreciated makes all the effort worthwhile.”

 

I am very pleased to learn that the 2023 Nicky Grist Stages has won the Pirelli Welsh Rally Championship Rally of the Year Award,” said Mark HammondMayor – Builth Wells Town Council.

 

There can be no bigger accolade than to be recognised by the actual competitors themselves. It’s well deserved.

 

The organisers readily acknowledge that having the rally based in the centre of Builth Wells was a big contributing factor to this award, and from the town’s perspective it is wonderful to have this acknowledged.

 

“The rally at Builth is a vibrant and stunning event, which makes the relationship between the town and the Nicky Grist Stages a real two-way partnership. The event draws in many visitors who make good use of all the shops, pubs, cafes and other great amenities that Builth has to offer, as well as the natural beauty of the town, particularly as it is situated on the banks of the River Wye.

 

What I have also found equally impressive is their positive attitude to liaising with the Town Council, and particularly with the Town Clerk. The organisational skills and clinical attention to detail, especially where the safety of competitors and those watching are concerned shown by the Nicky Grist team, reflects the high-level professional approach needed where an event like this is concerned. It also keeps the disruption in the town to a minimum.

 

Builth was really pleased to host the rally in 2023 and we are not only looking forward to this year’s event, but all those in the years to come as well.

 

“It is always a difficult task choosing the best Pirelli Welsh Rally Championship event because all of the organising teams in the championship do such a fantastic job and very often there is little to choose between events,” explains Dave Evison, Pirelli Welsh Rally Championship Secretary.

 

“In recent years the organising team from Quinton Motor Club have made small but effective changes and it’s made the difference with a lot of very positive feedback from our contenders.”

 

The 2024 Nicky Grist Stages will take place on Saturday 13 July.

No pain, no gain – as Elliot Payne spins but wins the Nicky Grist Stages for the first time

Elliot Payne spun backwards into a ditch on stage four of the Nicky Grist Stages (Saturday 8 July) but still went on to win the Quinton Motor Club-organised event for the first time in his Mango Go Ford Fiesta Rally2.

Co-driven by Tom Woodburn, the young Harrogate driver took a jump in the Monument stage flat-out and couldn’t slow down enough for the following corner – but despite the time loss, Payne won the event by 7.9 seconds to extend his lead in the MRF Tyres BTRDA Gold Star Series.

In a big field of 127 starters, Matthew Hirst/Declan Dear finished second in their Delta Salvage/Witham Group Ford Fiesta R5 to maintain their BTRDA title challenge and also extend their lead in the Motorsport UK Pirelli Welsh Rally Championship.

Arron Newby/Jamie Edwards completed the 2023 Nicky Grist Stages top three after a good run through the challenging Llyn Login, Crychan, Halfway and Monument stages in their Tatham Tyre Services-backed Škoda Fabia R5.

Local driver Jason Pritchard and co-driver Phil Clarke were the top placed two-wheel drive finishers, coming home a magnificent 10th overall in their Trailhead Get Jerky Ford Escort RS1800 Mk2.

Robert Gough/Paul Morris (Ford Escort RS1800 Mk2) won the BTRDA Silver Star and BTRDA Historic awards, Nigel and Kaz Jenkins (Vauxhall Nova) came out on top in the BTRDA Bronze category, Barry Stevenson-Wheeler/John Pickavance (Ford Escort RS1800) won the HRCR Rally Master Challenge section, David Tomlin/Keith Ashley (Ford Fiesta R5) were the top-placed ANWCC Rally Championship crew, Kristjan Kajakas/Ari Tiukkanen (Land Rover Bowler Defender 90) triumphed in the Bowler Defender Challenge and Rob Wilson/Richard Crozier (Mitsubishi Evo 7) were the first IPS Paint Rally Challenge registered crew home.

There was a magnificent atmosphere in the host town of Builth Wells, with the start ceremony on Strand Street, the service area on the Builth Wells RFC pitch and the podium ceremonies on the Groe – on the banks of the River Wye, with Builth Wells’ 18th Century bridge and surrounding rolling hills in the background. All this was made possible thanks to the magnificent support of Powys County Council, Builth Wells Town Council, Builth Wells Rugby Football Club and the businesses and residents of Builth Wells.

Local Toyota dealership North Road Garage kindly provided a hi-tech workshop for scrutineering.

“This year’s Nicky Grist Stages has gone really well, and everything has run to plan,” said Nicky Grist.

“It’s been a bit of a change this year, because normally we have hot dry weather and we’ve had a bit of rain thrown in this time to make the challenge a little greater for the crews. That said, all the competitors that I’ve spoken to have had a wonderful time.

“As event organisers, the Nicky Grist Stages sets itself a challenge to provide good roads and we want competitors to enjoy themselves. I was watching at the end of one of the stages and seeing all the smiling faces coming out is testimony to what the event is trying to achieve.

“Having one hundred and twenty-seven starters shows how popular the event is. Although we keep on hearing that rallying is dying in the UK, this event proves that rallying isn’t dying but in fact it is thriving and vibrant – and you can see on this event that we’ve had depth and breadth right the way through our entry. This event proves that rallying is a very positive thing in the UK still.”

“Quinton Motor Club would like to thank everyone who has supported this year’s event, from Nicky Grist, the landowners and local authorities, the championships and competitors, the marshals and officials, the local businesses, and the local residents,” said Clerk of the Course Neil Cross.

“Without their support we could not put on such a spectacular event.”

The 2024 Nicky Grist Stages will take place on Saturday 13 July.

2023 Nicky Grist Stages – top 10 finishers
1. Elliot Payne/Tom Woodburn (Ford Fiesta Rally2)….43mins 04.4secs
2. Matthew Hirst/Declan Dear (Ford Fiesta R5)….43mins 12.3secs
3. Arron Newby/Jamie Edwards (Škoda Fabia R5)….44mins 23.2secs
4. Russ Thompson/Stephen Link (Mitsubishi Evo 9)….44mins 46.1secs
5. Alistair Ginley/Craig Thorley (Ford Fiesta Rally2)….44mins 56.4secs
6. Ian Bainbridge/Will Atkins (Ford Fiesta Rally2)….45mins 15.2secs
7. Rob Wilson/Richard Crozier (Mitsubishi Evo 7)….45mins 18.3secs
8. Bob Morgan/Ade Williams (Škoda Fabia R5)….45mins 59.6secs

  1. Gavin Edwards/Caron Tomlinson (Ford Fiesta R5)….46mins 19.7secs
  2. Jason Pritchard/Phil Clarke (Ford Escort RS1800 Mk2)….47mins 02.7secs

Matthew Hirst heads a star-studded 2023 Nicky Grist Stages entry

Matthew Hirst will lead a star-studded field away at the start of the Nicky Grist Stages on Saturday 8 July, as the Doncaster rally ace is seeded at number one in his Delta Salvage/Witham Group Ford Fiesta R5.

Co-driven by Declan Dear, Hirst won the Nicky Grist Stages Interclub event last year and will be looking to close in on the MRF Tyres BTRDA Gold Star Series lead (he currently lies third, just four points behind the leader) and also extend his advantage at the top of the Motorsport UK Pirelli Welsh Rally Championship points table.

Arron Newby/Jamie Edwards are second in the BTRDA Gold Star Series and start at number two in their Tatham Tyre Services-backed Škoda Fabia R5, having won a rally in the nearby mid-Wales forests already this year.

BTRDA Gold Star Series leaders Elliot Payne/Tom Woodburn start at number three in their Mango Go Ford Fiesta Rally2. This will be the young Harrogate driver’s third attempt at the Quinton Motor Club-organised event – having finished sixth on his debut in 2021 and seventh (and second in the BTRDA section) last year.

Ian Bainbridge last contested the event in 2021, scoring a top 10 result in a Škoda Fabia R5. Together with Will Atkins, he returns this year in a new Ford Fiesta Rally2, seeded at number four.

Alistair Ginley/Craig Thorley start at number five in their Fiesta Rally2, Russ Thompson/Stephen Link have been seeded at number six in their Mitsubishi Evo 9, Rob Wilson/Richard Crozier start at seven in their Ravenol Mitsubishi Evo 7, Eddie Lewis/Sion Cunniff start at eight in their Ford Fiesta R5, Niall McCullagh/Martin Brady are at nine in their Fiesta Rally2 and Simon Rogers/James How round off the top 10 in their Mitsubishi Evo 6.

There is plenty of quality seeded outside the top 10, including Martyn Andrews/Steve Greenhill (Subaru Impreza), Bob Morgan/Ade Williams (Škoda Fabia R5), Peter Baylis/Paul Godden (Mitsubishi Evo 9), Daniel Moss/Samuel Davies (Mitsubishi Evo 10), Colin Minton/Bonnie Papper (Ford Fiesta R5), Richard Ceen/Dylan Thomas (Ford Fiesta R5), Steve Hollis/Tim Currie (Volkswagen Golf V R32) and Quinton MC members Paul Walker/Geraint Thomas (Subaru Impreza STI N11) and Geoff Cottrill/Nathan Crewe (Mitsubishi Evo 9).

The event is also a round of the HRCR Rally Master Challenge (the largest historic rally car registration of its kind), IPS Paint Rally Challenge (which raises funds for the Wales Air Ambulance), the ANWCC Rally Championship (which has over 120 member clubs) and, for the first time, the Bowler Defender Challenge.

This all brings an incredible variety of cars to this year’s Nicky Grist Stages – with 18 manufacturers and 38 different models on the 2023 entry list – with everything from an Alfa Romeo Alfasud to a Porsche 911 taking part.

Thanks to the magnificent support of Powys County Council, Builth Wells Town Council, Builth Wells Rugby Football Club and the businesses and residents of Builth Wells, the 2023 Nicky Grist Stages will once again be based in the very heart of the picturesque market town.

The start of the event will be held in Strand Street, outside the wonderful Strand Hall which will play host to rally headquarters.

The smaller capacity 1400cc, Rally First and H1/2 Historic class cars will start first, leaving Strand Street at 08:30, followed by the rest of the field in numerical order.

The mid-day service halt will be located on the Groe, home to Builth Wells RFC, and the finish ceremonies will on the banks of the River Wye, with Builth Wells’ 18th Century bridge and surrounding rolling hills providing one of the most scenic podium finish backdrops in British rallying.

Scrutineering will take place the day before the event (Friday 7 July) at North Road Garage; the local Toyota dealership (owned by Eian Pritchard and his family) is located within sight of the service area on the other side of the River Wye. Jason Pritchard/Phil Clarke are contesting the event in their magnificent Ford Escort RS1800 Mk2 and will be the local favourites.

All the rally action will take place in the nearby gravel roads of Llyn Login, Crychan, Halfway and Monument – with a 22 stage mile loop run in the morning and repeated after midday service in the afternoon.

To limit the environmental impact and to safeguard Sites of Specific Scientific Interest (SSSI), spectator areas have been carefully agreed with the landowners, Natural Resources Wales and Defence Infrastructure Organisation Wales. These are easily accessible, have dedicated off-road parking and other facilities and give some of the best viewing locations on the event, and more spectator information is available on nickygriststages.co.uk.

The 2023 Nicky Grist Stages has once again teamed up with Carbon Positive Motorsport to provide carbon offsetting as part of a long-term roadmap and commitment to mitigate the event’s carbon footprint. A special discount code (CPMNG2023) has been created to use on the Carbon Positive Motorsport online sales platform, which is available for all competitors and spectators to use to carbon offset their event-related travel: https://www.carbonpositivemotorsport.com/purchase-offsets

The event is proud to continue its association with GoSafe – the Wales Road Casualty Reduction Partnership and its Operation SNAP programme and help raise awareness of the Fatal Five road safety initiative by the Mid & West Wales Fire and Rescue Service. Mobile units will be operating in the area on Saturday 8 July.

“I am delighted to see such a strong and competitive field that will be battling hard to win the 2023 Nicky Grist Stages,” says Nicky Grist.

“Not just a strong field but also such a wide range of different rally cars are right the way through the entry list. The BTRDA, Welsh and other national rally championships offer such a spectacle that it makes these national events the must-see rallies in the UK. The crews and cars in this year’s event shows that UK rallying is strong and vibrant.”

“Quinton Motor Club are overwhelmed at the level of support shown again this year for the event,” adds Neil Cross, Nicky Grist Stages Clerk of the Course.

“We have put together a route that we think will challenge everyone and we look forward to welcoming all competitors and spectators to Builth Wells.”

2023 Nicky Grist Stages top 10 seeded entries
1. Matthew Hirst/Declan Dear….Ford Fiesta R5
2. Arron Newby/Jamie Edwards….Škoda Fabia R5
3. Elliot Payne/Tom Woodburn….Ford Fiesta Rally2
4. Ian Bainbridge/Will Atkins….Ford Fiesta Rally2
5. Alistair Ginley/Craig Thorley….Ford Fiesta Rally2
6. Russ Thompson/Stephen Link….Mitsubishi Evo 9
7. Rob Wilson/Richard Crozier….Mitsubishi Evo 7
8. Eddie Lewis/Sion Cunniff….Ford Fiesta R5
9. Niall McCullagh/Martin Brady….Ford Fiesta Rally2
10. Simon Rogers/James How….Mitsubishi Evo 6

Nicky Grist says that this year’s eco-friendly Nicky Grist Stages route will be ‘more challenging’ than ever

Nicky Grist says that this year’s Nicky Grist Stages (Saturday 8 July) route will be ‘more challenging’ than ever before – while the stages through Llyn Login, Crychan, Halfway and Monument have passed a significant number of environmental requirements that will make this year’s event more eco-friendly than ever before.

The stages running through the Crychan and Halfway forests and the Military Training Area over Eypnt are classics. An important consideration when planning the route is the environmental impact the rally has on Sites of Specific Scientific Interest (SSSI) as these areas are the most important sites for Wales’ natural heritage. They are highly protected to safeguard the range, quality and variety of habitats, species and geological features in all parts of Wales. They are the cornerstones of conservation work, protecting the core of Wales’ natural heritage.

There are more than 1,000 SSSI sites in Wales, covering about 12% of the country’s surface area.

Working with the landowners, local councils and Natural Resources Wales, the Nicky Grist Stages take its responsibilities to protect these sites seriously. This is a fundamental reason for asking spectators to keep to the spectator areas, as roaming through a SSSI could cause untold damage.

The picturesque backdrop to the event’s post-rally podium celebrations sits on the banks of the Rive Wye in Builth Wells and is in fact on the edge of a SSSI. To help protect the wildlife some of the grass may appear uncut and wild, and this is deliberate to protect the local wildlife.

Further information on SSSIs can be found here.

The Nicky Grist Stages is fortunate to have the use of the Groe as its service area venue. It is also the Builth Wells Rugby Football Club pitch and to ensure damage is limited competitors must service on groundsheets, have spill kits available and report damage to the event. Working with the Builth Wells RFC, there will be pre- and post-rally pitch inspections and remedial work carried out to return the pitch to the condition that it was handed over to the event in.

Once again the Nicky Grist Stages is proudly partnered with Carbon Positive Motorsport. This provides carbon offsetting for all competitor, organiser and spectator event vehicles and is part of a long-term roadmap and commitment to mitigate the event’s carbon footprint and reduce the sport’s environmental impact.

This year’s Nicky Grist Stages is a round of six major UK rally championships, namely the MRF Tyres BTRDA Rally Series, Motorsport UK Pirelli Welsh Rally Championship, HRCR Rally Master Challenge, IPS Paint Rally Challenge (which raises funds for the Wales Air Ambulance), the ANWCC Rally Championship and, for the first time, the Bowler Defender Challenge.

Nicky Grist, whose Nicky Grist Motorsports operation has sponsored the event for 14 consecutive years, says that the variation to this year’s 44 stage mile route will make it one of the most challenging Nicky Grist Stages ever.

Here Nicky goes through the four stages one by one, starting with Llyn Login which will be the first stage of the event.

“Llyn Login is a great stage to start the event,” says Nicky.

“It’s a lovely smooth, fast and flowing gravel stage, with a short asphalt section in the middle, and definitely not a stage for the faint hearted. It has been the scene of some drama, most notably Ollie Mellor’s accident on the big jump near the start a few years ago. It’s still a spectacular jump, but at least now everyone knows about it!

“The following road section takes crews down through Beulah and towards Llandovery and enters Crychan forest on the western side for a new variation of a fantastic stage. The longest stage of the 2023 event throws everything that a Welsh forest can at a competitor. It’s tight and twisty in places, fast and flowing in others and there are a lot of junctions. With a hard and abrasive surface, tyre management will be important – and it’s fair to say that the rally would be won or lost in Crychan.

“Next up is Halfway, which again is a slight variation to previous years but with many of the classic sections that make this stage so famous remaining. There are narrow bridges, gateways and cattlegrids to negotiate, so plenty to catch crews out if they’re not one hundred percent focused.

“The final stage of the loop is Monument, which is the last stage before midday service in the morning and the last stage before the finish in the afternoon. This is a favourite stage to many, thanks to its lovely cambered corners, tight junctions and a very scenic finish.

“Overall, this year’s route is a little more challenging than last year, so the winners will have to have driven extremely well to come out on top. If conditions are dry, choosing the correct tyres will be paramount to doing well on the 2023 Nicky Grist Stages.”

Nicky Grist Stages set to bring a magnificent motorsport festival to Builth Wells on Saturday 8 July

The Nicky Grist Stages returns to Builth Wells on Saturday 8 July, when crews from six major UK rally championships gather for the Quinton Motor Club-organised rally – which will be played out over 44 stage miles in the nearby classic mid-Wales forestry stages of Llyn Login, Monument, Halfway and Crychan.

This year’s event celebrates the 14th consecutive year of title sponsorship from Nicky Grist Motorsports.

Thanks to the magnificent support of Powys County Council, Builth Wells Town Council, Builth Wells RFC and the businesses and residents of Builth Wells, the 2023 Nicky Grist Stages will once again be based in the very heart of the picturesque market town.

The start of the event will be held in Strand Street, outside the wonderful Strand Hall which will play host to rally headquarters. The mid-day service halt will be located on the nearby Builth Wells RFC pitch and the finish ceremonies will be in Groe Park, on the banks of the River Wye. With Builth Wells’ 18th Century bridge and surrounding rolling hills providing a stunning backdrop, it is one of the most scenic podium finish settings in British rallying.

All these locations are a stone’s throw away from the bustling Builth Wells high street, where rally visitors will be able to buy food from the local independent shops, cafes and restaurants, as well as hardware, clothes, mobile ‘phones and much more.

Scrutineering will take place the day before the event (Friday 7 July) at North Road Garage; the local Toyota dealership (owned by Eian Pritchard and his family) is located within sight of the service area on the other side of the River Wye.

The event – which last year won the Brian Davies Memorial Award for Best Event on Epynt, presented by the Welsh Association of Motor Clubs – will contain super smooth and challenging stages on Natural Resources Wales and Defence Infrastructure Organisation land.

There will be a 22 stage mile loop of four stages run in the morning, which will be repeated in the afternoon following a mid-day service halt in Builth Wells. The compact rally route will have just 80 road miles.

The smaller capacity 1400cc, Rally First and H1/2 Historic class cars will run first on the road in Batch 1, followed by the rest of the field in Batch 2 – starting with the top seeded four-wheel drive cars.

This year’s Nicky Grist Stages will be the 38th consecutive time that the event has secured a place on the MRF Tyres BTRDA Rally Series calendar – winning the coveted Bill Turner Trophy for best event of the year six times (in 1995, 2005, 2010, 2012, 2016 and 2019).

The event is also a round of the popular Motorsport UK Pirelli Welsh Rally Championship, HRCR Rally Master Challenge, IPS Paint Rally Challenge (which raises funds for the Wales Air Ambulance), the ANWCC Rally Championship and, for the first time, the Bowler Defender Challenge.

Marshals will be well catered for this year, for included in their exclusive Nicky Grist Stages goodie bag will be freshly baked Welsh Cakes, kindly donated by Brace’s Bakery – Wales’ favourite bakery.

“We are delighted to welcome back contenders from the MRF Tyres BTRDA Rally Series, Motorsport UK Pirelli Welsh Rally Championship, HRCR Rally Master Challenge, IPS Paint Rally Challenge and the ANWCC Rally Championship, and look forward to welcoming the Bowler Defender Challenge for the first time,” says Neil Cross, Nicky Grist Stages Clerk of the Course.

“We have produced a route that will challenge competitors old and new, and we are grateful to the landowners for their continued support and hospitality to make our event the success it is.”

“I am delighted to carry on my sponsorship of this event in partnership with the Quinton Motor Club organisers,” adds Nicky Grist.

“Neil Cross and his team are amongst the most experienced event organisers in the country, which always makes the Nicky Grist Stages a great event and why it is so well supported by competitors.

“Neil has come up with another remake on the same great stages that we use year in and year out. He is never stuck for new road combinations and direction of travel, and this year is no exception. The stages are in great condition and with some nice weather we will again have a fast and furious battle out on the stages in all the various championships that come to the Nicky Grist Stages. I look forward to seeing you all in July.”

Further information on the 2023 Nicky Grist Stages is available on the Sportity app (password: QMCNGS23) and nickygriststages.co.uk.

2023 Nicky Grist Stages – Important Dates and Times
Friday 19 May, 18:00 – Regulations published
Monday 22 May, 18:00 – Entries open for registered championship contenders and Quinton Motor Club members
Monday 29 May, 18:00 – Entries open for all competitors
Friday 30 June, 20:00 – Seeded entries close
Monday 3 July, 18:00 – Final Instructions and route details announced
Wednesday 5 July, 18:00 – Final entries close
Friday 7 July, 15:00-20:30 – Scrutineering at North Road Garage
Saturday 8 July, 08.31 – First car starts
Saturday 9 July, 15:30 – First car finishes

Carnival atmosphere comes to Builth Wells, as Nicky Grist Stages hailed enormous success by town, competitors and fans

The 2022 Nicky Grist Stages brought a carnival atmosphere to Builth Wells at the weekend as 160 crews from six major British rally championships entertained the large number of visitors who created a magnificent buzz in the Service Area in Groe Park, at the Start and Finish ceremonies and in the nearby mid-Wales forest stages.

 

In glorious sunshine, spectators enjoyed some fantastic viewing in Halfway and Crychan, while special thanks go to the volunteer marshals and officials who kept everyone safe and the event running on time.

 

Following scrutineering at North Road Garage, the Mayor of Builth Wells, Cllr Alan Waller, flagged the cars away from outside Strand Hall on Strand Street at the start of the eight-stage event.

 

After all 44.38 stage miles, held on the classic Natural Resources Wales and Defence Infrastructure Organisation Wales forest gravel roads on and around the Epynt military range, were completed, the Mayor and Nicky Grist were back to present the trophies to the winners, with the British Rally Championship, MRF Tyres BTRDA Rally Series and Pirelli Ravenol Welsh Rally Championship podium ceremonies taking place on the banks of the River Wye.

 

In a fantastic display of speed and skill, Osian Pryce/Noel O’Sullivan won the Quinton Stages – National section of the event for the first time in their Volkswagen Polo GTI R5, while there were new winners of the Nicky Grist Stages – Interclub section of the event too, with Matthew Hirst/Declan Dear claiming victory in their Ford Fiesta R5+.

 

Following the success of the event – not just in sporting terms, but as an economic boost to Builth Wells (the rally organisers alone booked 55 bed and breakfast rooms in the town) – the Nicky Grist Stages can announce that the 2023 event will take place on Saturday 8 July.

 

Next year’s event will be the 14th consecutive year of title sponsorship from Nicky Grist Motorsports, and Colin McRae’s former co-driver (who was joined at this year’s event by Jimmy, Margaret, Alister and Max McRae) was full of praise for the 2022 edition.

 

 

“It’s been a wonderful event,” said Nicky.

 

“The organisation has been excellent. The stages ran on time, the competition was fantastic, we had no dramas whatsoever and even the weather was perfect.

 

“Bringing the event into the centre of Builth Wells created a lot of buzz around the town and there was a fantastic atmosphere in the service park. It was great to see so many visitors walking around looking at the rally cars and talking to the teams. Many of them were locals, but a lot were people just passing through Builth who decided to stop and look at what was going on.

 

“I managed to get out to watch on the stages. The action was incredible and everyone had a great time.

 

“Rallying needs to embrace the smaller communities and one of our key aims was to bring trade into Builth Wells. We certainly did that, and we created quite a carnival atmosphere too. I’m delighted by the way everything went.”

 

This year’s Nicky Grist Stages teamed up with Carbon Positive Motorsport to provide carbon offsetting as part of a long-term roadmap and commitment to mitigate the event’s carbon footprint. Ninety rally crews registered to carbon offset their event-related travel, plus a considerable number of marshals, officials and spectators, which was a tremendous uptake in year one of the partnership.

 

The event also worked very closely with GoSafe – the Wales Road Casualty Reduction Partnership and its Operation SNAP programme, and no rally-related road traffic offences have been reported.

 

“On behalf of Quinton Motor Club, we’d like to thank Nicky [Grist] for all his enthusiasm and support and the competitors, marshals, spectators and residents of Builth Wells for helping make this year’s event such a success,” said Neil Cross, Nicky Grist Stages Clerk of the Course.

 

“Our inaugural year working with Carbon Positive Motorsport was also a huge success and we look forwarding to working with them in the future.”

 

NGStages23 – Saturday 8 July.

90 crews join the Carbon Positive Motorsport initiative

The 2022 Nicky Grist Stages has partnered with Carbon Positive Motorsport as part of a new initiative to help mitigate the events carbon footprint in the first step of a comprehensive environmental roadmap for the popular event.

 

The event is the first to pilot a ‘End to End’ carbon offsetting event package that has been launched by Carbon Positive Motorsport. This innovative package has been created based on feedback from rally events and competitors, who wanted to make it easier for all involved in an event to help contribute to mitigating an events carbon footprint and its environmental impact through carbon offsetting the estimated average event day fuel used by competitors.

 

Thanks to over 90 competitors who have included carbon offsetting in their entry, 28,000 KG C02e of carbon will be offset in the future. This figure also includes the organisers vehicles which will be offsetting their actual fuel use on the event day. This carbon offsetting will be recorded on the UK land registry in the name of the event, which provides full transparency and verification of the offsetting level to be achieved.

 

The event itself will see Carbon Positive Motorsport brand ambassadors Osian Pryce, Garry Pearson and Matthew Jackson who is competing with Sasha Heriot and said: “We’re really looking forward to the Nicky Grist Stages. It’s been a bit of a gap since the last class win at the Plains Rally so we’re raring to go. It’s set to be a tough weekend, the stages look absolutely fantastic, very fast and flowing and as always with the Nicky Grist Stages, a warm one! We face a very strong battle for the class this time, a number of the newer generation cars, but we love a challenge!”

 

I think it’s great so many people have signed up to offset their carbon for this event. We all need to do our bit to make our sport greener, so the fact people are listening, signing up only goes to show the great work the team are doing. Even better that the event is endorsing and really pushing the message, it makes the whole process very simple and effective’

 

The Carbon Positive Motorsport initiative has since its launch generated large interest in the sport – as competitors and events across all motorsport disciplines, have started to recognise and act on the environmental needs of the sport, to ensure that motorsport and the environment are sustainable for future generations to enjoy.

 

By only using the highest possible quality of 100% UK based carbon offsetting projects which generate carbon reduction in the future through rewilding, greater environmental benefits such as restoration of ancient woodlands, and the reintroduction of native species of trees and animals to improve biodiversity, will result in greater positive environmental impact than by offsetting alone.

 

To further reduce the events environmental impact, Carbon Positive Motorsport are also offering all Nicky Grist Stages competitors and spectators a 20% discount on their standard web shop prices from the 8th to the 10th of July, to encourage all travelling to the event to help bring a greater positive environmental impact.

 

Carbon Positive Motorsport director, Paul Glass said: “We are delighted that so many of the event competitors decided to support the events environmental ambitions, by not opting out of the scheme. Such levels of competitors support and commitment from the organisers will help the event to be sustainable in the future years. I was talking with Nicky at last weekend’s McRae rally challenge which we provided carbon offsetting to, and as event sponsor he was delighted that such a level of support has been given to the event that carries his name.”

 

Carbon Positive Motorsport director, Steve Smith added :”It’s a fantastic level of support, which greatly increases the positive impact we can create through our new End to End offsetting package for the event. I will be attending the event to support the organisers, but also to take feedback from all competitors, to understand how we can further improve how we work with this model and events in the future. We want all to get involved from a voluntary basis for the benefit of the sport – so such feedback is very important to us in achieving that ambition.”

 

A special discount code (NG22S) has been created to use on Carbon Positive Motorsports online sales platform, which will be available for all competitors and spectators to use to carbon offset their event related travel.

BRC leader Keith Cronin heads a bumper 160 car entry as the Nicky Grist Stages welcomes six major rally championships to Builth Wells

A bumper 160 car entry will start this weekend’s Quinton Motor Club-organised Nicky Grist Stages – with competitors from six major rally championships gathering in the historic Welsh market town of Builth Wells on Saturday (9 July) for a fantastic action-packed rally festival.

 

Four-time British rally champion Keith Cronin is seeded at number one in his Volkswagen Polo GTI R5. He and co-driver Mikie Galvin arrive in Builth Wells leading the British Rally Championship, 10 points ahead of Welsh crew James Williams/Dai Roberts in their Hyundai i20 R5.

 

Osian Pryce (co-driven Noel O’Sullivan) will carry number 100 on his Polo GTI R5 to celebrate his 100th rally start.

 

Perry Gardener/Jack Bowen arrive as leaders of the MRF Tyres BTRDA Rally Series. They have finished on the podium in all four rounds so far this year, and with three second place finishes and a third they will be aiming for their first maximum points score of the season.

 

Matthew Hirst has won all three rounds of the Pirelli Ravenol Welsh Rally Championship this year. The Nicky Grist Stages is one of his favourite events, although in four previous attempts he’s never enjoyed a clean run. He and co-driver Declan Dear will be aiming to readdress that this year in their Delta Salvage Ford Fiesta R5+.

 

The event also welcomes crews contesting the HRCR Rally Master Challenge (the largest historic rally car registration of its kind), the ANWCC Rally Championship (which has over 120 member clubs) and the Independent Paint Supplies (IPS) Rally Challenge (which raises funds for the Wales Air Ambulance).

 

The event will run to its popular tried and tested one-day format featuring 44.38 stage miles on Natural Resources Wales and Defence Infrastructure Organisation Wales land. With a few innovative tweaks, this year’s route will contain some new sections of top-quality roads, some of which have never been used on the Nicky Grist Stages before.

 

This year’s event celebrates 13 consecutive years of title sponsorship from Nicky Grist Motorsports – and the long-standing support, advice, co-operation and friendship from Nicky Grist is enormously appreciated.

 

“Thank you to all the competitors entered for the Nicky Grist Stages this year,” said Nicky.

 

“We have an incredible entry of 160 cars which is a remarkable amount and I hope you all have a great event.

 

“The stages are in fantastic condition and on the last route recce they were smooth and in perfect condition for rallying.

 

“I look forward to seeing you all in Builth Wells this weekend.”

 

The event will be broadcast on several media channels, with action and driver interviews live-streamed by the BRC, BTRDA and Welsh championships.

 

The 2022 Nicky Grist Stages has team-up with Carbon Positive Motorsport to provide carbon offsetting as part of a long-term roadmap and commitment to mitigate the event’s carbon footprint. A special discount code (NG22S) has been created to use on the Carbon Positive Motorsport online sales platform, which is available for all competitors and spectators to use to carbon offset their event-related travel.

 

The event is proud to continue its association with GoSafe – the Wales Road Casualty Reduction Partnership and its Operation SNAP programme, and help raise awareness of the Fatal Five road safety initiative by the Mid & West Wales Fire and Rescue Service.

 

Scrutineering will take place the day before the event (Friday 8 July) at North Road Garage; the local Toyota dealership (owned by Eian Pritchard and his family) is located just a stone’s throw away from the service area on the other side of the River Wye.

 

Thanks to the magnificent support from Powys County Council and Builth Wells Town Council, this Saturday’s Nicky Grist Stages will start from Strand Street (outside Strand Hall, which is rally headquarters) in the centre of Builth Wells, with the first car flagged away at 08.31. Crews will then tackle a loop of four gravel stages – Llyn Login, Monument, Halfway and Crychan – before returning to Strand Street for a regroup, followed by a midday service halt on the Builth Wells RFC pitch. Crews with then head back for a repeat run over the four stages, before returning to Builth Wells for the podium finish ceremony, which will take place in Groe Park from 15.30 on the banks of the River Wye, with the landmark 18th Century bridge and surrounding rolling hills providing a stunning backdrop.

 

2022 Nicky Grist Stages top 10 seeded entries
1. Keith Cronin/Mikie Galvin….Volkswagen Polo GTI R5
2. Elliot Payne/Patrick Walsh….Ford Fiesta Rally2
3. James Williams/Dai Roberts….Hyundai i20 R5
4. Garry Pearson/Dale Furniss….Ford Fiesta Rally2
5. Ruairi Bell/Max Freeman…. Škoda Fabia R5
6. Tom Llewellin/Ross Whittock….TBA
7. Matthew Hirst/Declan Dear….Ford Fiesta R5
8. Stephen Petch/Michael Wilkinson….Ford Fiesta
9. Perry Gardener/Jack Bowen….Ford Fiesta R5
10. Jason Pritchard/Phil Clarke….Volkswagen Polo GTI R5

Local hero Jason Pritchard set for long awaited four-wheel drive gravel rally return on the Nicky Grist Stages

Local hero Jason Pritchard will contest his first gravel rally in a four-wheel drive car for 10 years when he tackles this summer’s Builth Wells-based Nicky Grist Stages (Saturday 9 July) in his North Road Garage/Get Jerky/J&S Handling-backed Volkswagen Polo GTI R5.

 

The 34-year old driver is no stranger to forestry rallying of course, having won three consecutive British Historic Rally Championship titles in a Ford Escort RS1800 and led the Roger Albert Clark Rally on several occasions. Jason also contested the Nicky Grist Stages in the Mk2 last year, winning the BTRDA Historic and H3 classes, scoring a top 10 BTRDA Gold Star result and finishing 27th overall.

 

He’s also very familiar with four-wheel drive, having won the Protyre Asphalt Rally Championship title three years in a row, and the Manx National a record-equalling five times, in a Ford Focus RS WRC 05.

 

As the Nicky Grist Stages is the next round of the British Rally Championship, a series that Jason and co-driver Phil Clarke are contesting in a Melvyn Evans Motorsport-prepared Polo R5, it gives the multiple rally champions an opportunity to contest their first gravel rally in a four-wheel drive car since the 2012 Tempest Stages – and event in which Jason finished second on in his Focus WRC 05, despite having to complete the final two stages with a broken driveshaft.

 

And Jason will arrive at his local BRC round – which has stages in the Llyn Login, Monument, Halfway and Crychan forests – full of confidence, having recorded his first points-scoring finish of the season in the Polo R5 on the Jim Clark Rally in Scotland.

 

In addition to competing on the Nicky Grist Stages, Jason’s family-run North Road Garage Toyota dealership – which is situated in Llanelwedd, just a stone’s throw across the River Wye from where the event’s service area will be located on the Builth Wells RFC pitch – will be the venue for scrutineering on the eve of the event (Friday 8 July). Thanks to the generosity of Jason and his father Eian, the dealership will provide the event with superb modern workshop facilities for the scrutineers to conduct their technical checks before the 45-stage mile event gets underway the next day.

 

“I’m looking forward to contesting my first forestry rally in a four-wheel drive car for ten years, and it’s extra special to be doing it on my home round of the British Rally Championship and having all my friends and family out supporting me on the Nicky Grist Stages,” said Jason.

 

“I’m used to driving on gravel rallies in a forty-year old historic Mark 2 Escort, so I hope to be able to test the Volkswagen Polo R5 on gravel before the event gets underway.

 

“There is a huge difference between an Escort Mk2 and a Polo R5, in particular the suspension and braking capabilities. With the Escort you need to use the transmission to help the car slow down, and with the Polo you can just hit the brake pedal and the car stops – so I’ve been told! Getting the braking points right is the one thing that’s going to take adjusting to the most. Melvyn’s team won the BRC Teams’ title last year, so I’m sure they’ll have a good base setting to start the rally and it’s just about fine tuning it to suit me.

 

“It’s nice to arrive at my home round of the British Rally Championship off the back of my first finish in the Polo. I’ve never been so relieved to get to the finish of a rally as I was on the Jim Clark, as it’s been a difficult few months with the lack of lady luck to even finish a rally. It’s all about seat time and getting fully tuned into the Volkswagen. The more I drive the car the more comfortable and confident I am and getting those competitive miles under my belt on the Jim Clark was a big confidence boost.

 

“Whilst the Nicky Grist Stages is my local event, I don’t exactly drive back and fore to work through the forests every day, so I don’t actually know them that well. In fact, the last time I saw them was on last year’s Nicky Grist Stages. But I’m looking forward to rallying there in front of my family and friends.

 

“I’d also like to give a big shout out to my sponsors – namely North Road Garage, Get Jerky, J&S Handling, Trailhead Fine Foods, Chartists 1770, Pirelli and Speedline Corse – without whom contesting this year’s British Rally Championship simply wouldn’t be possible.”

 

Entries are open for this year’s Nicky Grist Stages, with Regulations available to view and download on the event’s website (nickygriststages.co.uk) and on the Sportity app (password: NGS2022).

 

The event has partnered with Carbon Positive Motorsport to provide carbon offsetting for all competitors and organisers’ event vehicles, as part of a long-term roadmap and commitment to mitigate the event’s carbon footprint. A special discount code (NG22S) has been created to use on Carbon Positive Motorsport’s online sales platform, which is available for all competitors and spectators to use to carbon offset their event-related travel.

 

Nicky Grist Stages to partner with Carbon Positive Motorsport to provide carbon offsetting for this year’s event

Nicky Grist Stages (Saturday 9 July) will partner with Carbon Positive Motorsport to provide carbon offsetting for all competitors and organisers event vehicles, as part of a long-term roadmap and commitment to mitigate the events carbon footprint.

 

The event joins several UK events this year who have chosen as part of their environmental plans to take steps to mitigate its carbon footprint by using high-quality UK sourced and certified carbon offsetting projects.

 

The company, which is the first in the world to offer dedicated carbon offsetting services exclusively for motorsport, provides carbon offsetting for all motorsport events, teams, competitors, and spectators, and will provide carbon positive levels of offsetting for all the rally organisation vehicles and competitors as part of their entry, in a first for UK motorsport.

 

Carbon Positive Motorsport was launched last year and provided offsetting to competitors at all levels of the sport, including current British rally champion Matt Edwards, former champion David Bogie, and current BRC front runners Garry Pearson and Osian Pryce, each of whom have become brand ambassadors for Carbon Positive Motorsport and are supporting the adoption of carbon offsetting within rallying, as part of the solution to reduce the sports environmental impact.

 

Triple British Rally Champion Matt Edwards has been a long-standing campaigner for the need for rallying to improve its environmental perception and has been heavily involved with Carbon Positive Motorsport as its leading brand ambassador since its launch last year.

 

The Carbon Positive Motorsport initiative has since its launch generated large interest in the sport – as competitors and events across all motorsport disciplines, have started to recognise and act on the environmental needs of the sport, to ensure that motorsport and the environment are sustainable for future generations to enjoy.

 

The event will benefit from a level of carbon offsetting that will provide 25% more carbon offsetting in the future than is generated today through the average fuel use associated with their participation.

 

By only using the highest possible quality of 100% UK-based carbon offsetting projects which generate carbon reduction in the future through rewilding, greater environmental benefits such as restoration of ancient woodlands, and the reintroduction of native species of trees and animals to improve biodiversity, will result in greater positive environmental impact than by offsetting alone.

 

Stringent verification processes assure genuine and greater long-lasting impact than for typical commercial carbon offsetting schemes, which often use low cost and quality overseas projects, or abatement schemes which generally replace future carbon emissions rather than sequester and capture the existing carbon in the atmosphere.

 

All carbon offsetting for this year’s event will be registered on the UK Land Registry in the name of the event and organising club, which ensures traceability of the total carbon emissions that will be offset.

 

To further reduce the events environmental impact, Carbon Positive Motorsport are also offering all Nicky Grist Stages competitors and spectators a 20% discount on their standard web shop prices, to encourage all travelling to the event to help bring a greater positive environmental impact.

 

The initiative forms the first step of a partnership that will help create an environmental road map for the event, to progressively reduce and further offset the events footprint. Local Welsh carbon offsetting projects are being investigated and developed together with their offsetting partner Highland Carbon for future use.

 

Additionally, the company is donating 10% of their sales profits to support motorsport organisations in the Ukraine, who are providing humanitarian aid to people who have been devastated by the current war through a collaboration with championship winning Ukrainian co driver Juliya Yefymova.

 

Rising Welsh talent Matthew Jackson plans to compete on this year’s event in his Carbon Positive Motorsport/MJ Rallying Fiesta with co-driver Sasha Heriot.

 

Nicky Grist Stages Clerk of the Course, Neil Cross said: “We are delighted to be working with Carbon Positive Motorsport in this new initiative to offset the impact our competitors and Safety Cars have on the environment. Sustainability is key to the future of the sport and this partnership emphasises how serious the Nicky Grist Stages and Quinton Motor Club are at securing the future of the event.”

 

Carbon Positive Motorsport director, Paul Glass said: “We are delighted to support the Quinton Motor Club’s Nicky Grist Stages. The event will be the first UK event to benefit from a new package we are offering for rally events, that uses our unique database of rally car fuel consumption, which has been developed based on actual competition consumption figures to create an average figure that we can apply and offset.

 

“We have been working with events and competitors’ feedback to create an ‘end to end’ event carbon offsetting package – which is all about creating the easiest and most affordable way for an event to make the biggest positive carbon offsetting impact, and to help an event to strengthen and sustain motorsport within their local communities.

 

“We are a purpose lead business – run by competitors and motorsport professionals who are genuinely passionate about motorsport and the environment. Our sole purpose is to help protect motorsport and the environment – making both sustainable for future generations to enjoy, with an affordable, and easy to use high quality offsetting service. It does not cost a lot to make a big difference’’

 

A special discount code (NG22S) has been created to use on Carbon Positive Motorsports online sales platform, which will be available for all competitors and spectators to use to carbon offset their event related travel.

 

carbonpositivemotorsport.com

 

2022 Nicky Grist Stages – important dates and times
Monday 23 May, 18:00 – Entries open for registered championship contenders and Quinton Motor Club members
Monday 30 May, 18:00 – Entries open for all entries
Friday 1 July, 20:00 – Seeded entries close
Monday 4 July, 18:00 – Final Instructions and route details available
Wednesday 6 July, 18:00 – Entries close
Friday 8 July, 15:00-20:30 – Scrutineering at North Road Garage
Friday 8 July, 15:00-19:00 – Recce
Saturday 9 July, 08.31 – First car starts
Saturday 9 July, 15:30 – First car finishes