A DOMINANT performance in the opening stages of the Nicky Grist Stages – the fifth round of the Prestone MSA British Rally Championship – saw Osian Pryce and Dale Furniss in the Spencer Sport prepared, Hills Ford, Alphera backed Fiesta R5 lead the event for 11 of its 20 stages, until an electrical issue brought their challenge to a premature end on the Sunday morning.

Teammates James Williams of Cenarth near Newcastle Emlyn and Dai Roberts in the HT Installations, West Wales Rally Spares supported Fiesta R2, repeated their impressive Ypres result with another third place in the Junior British Rally Championship category for under 24-year old drivers.

Based in Builth Wells, the two-day Nicky Grist Motorsports sponsored rally is unique in the BRC calendar, as it features loose-surface stages on the first day and asphalt on the second.

For Osian and Dale it’s their most local event, so unsurprisingly, they chose to play their joker and consequently, score double points.

Starting from the centre of the mid-Wales market town on Saturday morning, competitors embarked on the first of the day’s eight stages on the gravel roads over the Epynt Military Ranges and in the surrounding forests.

By virtue of topping the British Rally Championship points table following their third place in Belgium a fortnight ago, the Welsh pair were seeded at number one and consequently, ran as first car on the road.

Osian and Dale lost no time in making their mark and by the end of the day pulled out a 19.3 second advantage over their closest rivals and eventual event winners Fredrik Ählin and co-driver Torstein Eriksen.

Consequently, they were in a perfect position from which to mount their asphalt assault the following day with the Spencer Sport technicians changing the specifications on both cars like a well-oiled machine.

Osian and Dale survived an impact with straw bales positioned to slow down some of the fastest stretches as well as another with a straying sheep.

They continued at the front of the field until stage 12, when the engine suddenly cut out due to a fuel pump problem and the rally favourites were denied the victory they deserved.

“It’s so disappointing when a good run ends this way, especially as it’s the team’s, Dale's and my home event, but that’s how it is”, said an unsurprisingly frustrated but philosophical Osian.

“It’s also a shame that we couldn’t take advantage of playing our joker, so we’ll have to look at the maths and see what we need to do for the rest of the season to keep our title hopes intact.”

Meanwhile, in the race for BRC Junior honours, James and Dai were on a mission and from the word go, had established themselves amongst the category leaders – all driving R2 machinery.

Fired up for Sunday’s tussle on the tarmac, James and Dai were in the ascendancy and took the lead on the first stage in the morning, only to succumb to a significant over-shoot on stage 11. The subsequent delay relegated them to third and, try as they might, the competition between the front-runners was so close they were unable to claw back the lost time.

After enjoying his second celebration on the JBRC podium in two weeks, 19-year old James said: “We set the bar high in Ypres and perhaps I was perhaps expecting a lot from this event, but I’m really happy to score another third place. It’s great to know we can be on the leading pace in the Juniors, especially on an event like this with its change of surfaces, so I’m now looking forward to see if we can make even more progress when we go to the Ulster Rally for the next round.”

The Nicky Grist Stages mark a significant event in Spencer Sport’s year. As it’s the Llandysul-based team’s home event, together with the event sponsors Nicky Grist Motorsports, it took the opportunity to set up an exclusive hospitality area.

Celebrity speakers this year included Welsh Rugby internationals Scott Williams and George North.

The Spencer Sport team now prepares for the sixth round of the Prestone championship, the annual all-asphalt Ulster Rally that takes place on August 18-19.