Pryce blows Teams’ championship open

Osian Pryce’s absence hits M-sport’s bid to win the British Rally Championship for Teams, as it trails CA1 Sport by 23 points.

However, each team can nominate three cars, so M-sport could yet nominate a new crew to score points on the Manx.

M-sport currently has two points-scoring cars on the Isle of Man, with Keith Cronin and Alex Laffey under its works banner.

Pryce had also scored points towards the Dovenby squad’s efforts this term.

CA1 Sport only has Ahlin scoring on the event, as team-mates David Bogie, Jamie Anderson and Thomas Preston are all absent.

The maximum CA1 Sport can score is 50 with Skoda Fabia R5 driver Ahlin, while M-sport can score a possible 91 with two cars, or 121 with three cars if they lock out the top three spots on both legs.

“We do [have only two cars] at the moment,” said M-sport BRC team boss Scott Erskine. “We have the option of nominating someone else. We’ll take a look at that tomorrow [Tuesday, September 5].

“We don’t have many options, it’s not a great entry so we don’t have much choice. Someone like Matt Edwards is going well.”

Aside from Cronin and Laffey, M-sport could select Edwards, who still has a chance of taking the BRC title if his rivals falter, multiple Belgian champion Peter Tsjoen, Manx National winner Hugh Hunter or Nicky Grist Stages podium finisher, Rhys Yates.