Nation.Cymru staff
Welsh driver Osian Pryce secured his second British Rally Championship title by just 1.2 seconds after a final-stage battle at the Cambrian Rally.
Pryce and co-driver James Morgan won Saturday’s event in north Wales, holding off a late charge from Max McRae and Cameron Fair in torrential rain and strong winds.
The result gave Pryce his first championship since 2022, while Morgan celebrated his maiden title.
Three crews began the final round with a chance of winning the championship, but the contest eventually narrowed to Pryce and McRae across nine forest stages.
McRae set the early pace in his Škoda Fabia RS Rally2, winning the opening two stages as Pryce dealt with a minor technical problem in his Toyota GR Yaris Rally2.
The lead changed hands on stage three when McRae spun in standing water, losing around 15 seconds. Pryce moved ahead, with fellow Welsh title contender Meirion Evans taking second.
Evans and co-driver Dale Furniss saw their challenge end on the fifth stage when they went off the road under braking and could not continue.
McRae then reduced a 15.9-second deficit to 5.9 seconds before the final stage. He gained another 4.7 seconds on the last test but narrowly missed out on victory and the championship.
“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.”
Pryce had won the Severn Valley Stages and Grampian Forest Rally earlier in the season, but retirement at Rali Ceredigion had put his title hopes in doubt.
McRae said: “That was the hardest stage I’ve ever driven. That is gutting, but we fought so hard.”
Charlie Tuthill finished third overall on his British Rally Championship debut, with Sion Williams alongside in a Ford Fiesta Rally3.
The pair also won the BRC3 category, finishing on the podium against more powerful Rally2 cars in difficult conditions.
Brendan Cumisky completed the top four at the event, which settled the championship after six rounds and hundreds of competitive stage miles, with the leading crews separated by little over a second.
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