Osian Pryce clinched the 2026 British Rally Championship title after pipping Max McRae by 1.2s in a tense final stage showdown at the Cambrian Rally season finale.
The Welsh gravel rally, held in torrential rain, served up a winner takes all three-way title fight between Welsh duo and team-mates Pryce and Meirion Evans, and nephew of 1995 world rally champion McRae.
McRae and co-driver Cameron Fair, driving a Skoda Fabia Rally2, made the perfect start to move into a 1.8s lead over Pryce after winning the opening two stages from the Welshman, who was fighting a pop off valve issue on his Toyota GR Yaris Rally2.
However, a spin after hitting standing water in stage three, and an incorrect tyre choice, proved costly, dropping the Scotsman to third, 4.9s behind leader Pryce, who had a 1.2s advantage over Evans.
The title battle took another twist in the final stage of the morning loop as Evans was caught out under braking and went off the road in stage five and was unable to continue.
Pryce took a 14.9s lead over McRae into the afternoon but the fight was far from over. McRae delivered an inspired drive to win the four remaining stages. After taking 5.7s from Pryce in the penultimate Hiraethog test, only 6.0s separated the pair heading into the final stage of the season.
McRae threw everything at it to snatch the title but came up just 1.2s short as Pryce claimed a second British title to add to his 2022 triumph. It was the first British title for Pryce’s co-driver James Morgan.
Photo by: BRC/Spacesuit
“I never thought I’d be in the position to win this title again”, said Pryce “We’ve had our ups and downs since the last one, but I’ve kept persevering, and it just goes to show that everyone who has helped me, as long as I get the support, I can put it together on the day. A massive thanks to everybody; I can’t name everybody, obviously, as there are just so many people.
“Credit to Max [McRae] & Cammy [Fair], Meirion [Evans] and Dale [Furniss] as well; it’s been a tough season. It’s been quite exciting bringing it down to the last stage of the last rally, but I’d have rather it been a bit of a bigger gap! A big thanks to James [Morgan] as well; I wouldn’t have been able to do this without him because his knowledge has been paramount with this car, but we’ve really settled into it.”
After the agony of missing out on the title by the smallest of margins, McRae said: “I don’t know what to say. I was off the road in there [the last stage] more than I was on the road. That was the hardest stage I’ve ever driven. That is gutting, but we fought so hard”.
Charlie Tuthill completed the overall podium in impressive style, making a memorable British Rally Championship debut by guiding his Ford Fiesta Rally3 to third overall, with Sion Williams alongside.