Osian Pryce Leads The Charge On This Weekend’s Rali Ceredigion

By Paul Evans

Osian Pryce will lead a star-studded field away at the start of this weekend’s JDS Machinery Rali Ceredigion (2-3 September) as the reigning British rally champion contests the event in a Melvyn Evans Motorsport-prepared Volkswagen Polo GTI R5.

Pryce won the event in 2019 (when it ran for the first time as Wales’ first ever closed road stage rally) driving a Hyundai i20 R5 and finished second (to Hayden Paddon/Jared Hudson) last year in a Polo – and starts this year’s event as number one seed.

The 30-year-old Machynlleth born driver returns for a third attempt at the event this weekend, driving the sister car in which he won last year’s British title in – although the event, held on technical and twisty country roads in and around the Cambrian Mountains, will be Pryce’s first rally on asphalt since the 2022 Rali Ceredigion twelve months ago.

To reacquaint himself with the surface and the Polo, the Michelin Talent Factory driver completed a short pre-event test at the Bont Dolebolion Rally Stage. He was accompanied there by co-driver Stéphane Prévot, who had made the journey from his home in Belgium to mid-Wales by train.

Pryce will have plenty of competition on the event, not least from the likes of Meirion Evans/Jonathan Jackson and Kevin Davies/Owain Davies, who also drive Polo GTI R5s from the Melvyn Evans Motorsport stable.

JDS Machinery Rali Ceredigion to Offset 100,000 kg CO2e https://t.co/sSXIvN5AnW | @Rali_Ceredigion | @MIAmotorsport | @ourmotorsportuk

— Carbon Positive Motorsport (@CarbonPositive4) August 31, 2023

This year’s two-day 100 stage mile Rali Ceredigion starts on Saturday 2 September with a loop of three stages in the morning, a lunchtime service halt, a repeat of the same three stages in the afternoon, service and two runs through an Aberystwyth street stage in the evening (totalling 55 stage miles).

Day two takes place on Sunday 3 September and contains a loop of three stages in the morning, a lunchtime service halt and a repeat of the three stages in the afternoon (totalling 45 stage miles), before the ceremonial finish on Aberystwyth Promenade.

Pryce is supported by Michelin Motorsport, as a part of the Talent Factory programme, Demon Tweeks, Bell Racing helmets, OMP race suits, Hills Automotive, MotoFit (performance training), Redkite Glass, Cwmni Diogel (Security and Event Management), Griffiths Graphics, Kitchen Door Changer, Kevin Williams Plant Hire, Bysiau Windy Corner Coaches, M Davies Plumbing & Heating, Jenkins Detailing, Speedy Sofas, VWTS Upgrades, Gorsaf Betrol Tymawr/Rheidol, and his own family-run specialist building firm G+M Pryce.