Osian Pryce has extended his lead at the top of the British Rally Championship after securing maximum points on the Voly Grampian Forest Rally.
The Machynlleth-born driver delivered a controlled performance across the ultra-fast Aberdeenshire gravel roads on August 7 and 8 to claim a 26.1-second BRC victory.
Co-driven by James Morgan, the 2022 champion took the BRC lead after the second stage of the rally.
Conditions on the notoriously low-grip Grampian stages presented a significant challenge, with the road surface ranging from very loose gravel to smooth, swept sections and rough, rocky roads.
The set-up of Pryce’s Castrol MEM Rally Team Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 had to be constantly adjusted in an effort to find traction and adapt to the changing conditions.
Despite also encountering an engine pop-off valve issue, Pryce ended Friday with an impressive 11.2-second advantage in the BRC standings.
With conditions continuing to change, the 33-year-old used his experience to gradually increase his championship advantage across Saturday’s stages.
A controlled and polished performance eventually saw Pryce secure a comfortable 26.1-second BRC victory.
He finished fourth overall in the rally, behind three FIA World Rally Championship drivers and ahead of another.
The result follows victory on the opening Severn Valley and a third-place finish on the Jim Clark.
With the series now reaching its halfway point, Pryce has increased his lead at the top of the BRC standings to 10 points.
“It’s been a good weekend, and championship-wise we did exactly what we needed to do,” said Osian.
“We came here to do a job and score as many points as possible, and we achieved that. We were in amongst the leading guys anyway, but there was no need to push that extra bit and take unnecessary risks when it wasn’t going to make any difference to our championship result.
“We weren’t completely happy with the car all weekend and struggled a little with the handling. We made a few changes and sometimes they worked, while other times they didn’t – we changed something before the final stage which, logically, should have been the right thing to do, but unfortunately it went the other way. It felt like we were chasing our tail a little at times, so there’s definitely some work to do to get the car where we want it on gravel.
“But to come away with maximum British Rally Championship points is the most important thing. We’ve had a really strong start to the season, and you can’t ask for much more than the results we’ve had from the first three rounds. We’ve been in this position before and know what we need to do – it’s about keeping the points coming and building that championship lead. Wins and maximum scores are particularly important early in the season, so it’s great to have another one on the board.”
The next round of the British Rally Championship is the JDS Machinery Rali Ceredigion, which takes place from September 4 to 6.
Osian is supported by The Leading Edge, Hills Automotive, Haddo Energy, Demon Tweeks, LAS Recycling, Bell, Red Kite Glass, Rhode-Trax, Morrisons Daily, Superfast Properties, OMP, Zero Noise, Gorsaf Betrol Tymawr, Diogel Events, J.E Rees & Sons, Jordan Road Surfacing, Glenbrook, and his own family-run specialist building firm G+M Pryce.
