Prycesettogivecompetitiondebuttooreca’sr4kit

Osian Pryce is set to be the first driver to compete in an R4-specification car when he drives a Toyota Etios on this weekend’s Rallye Ciudad de Granada in Spain.

The 2016 Drive DMACK Trophy champion will drive the car that ORECA – the kit’s developers – has used to hone the machine with test driver Stephane Sarrazin.

Pryce, who will be co-driven by usual partner Dale Furniss, will handle the car now run by the ASM Motorsport team on the 60-mile gravel event.

“I know very little about the event,” he said. “It’s all come about in the last few days. I was grateful that ASM Motorsport and ORECA have asked me to drive it to showcase the R4 and I visited the team in Barcelona last weekend.

“From what people tell me, I’ll be the first person to use it in competition, which is really cool. It’s a great opportunity for me to get back out and to promote the R4 kit, there’s a lot of interest in it. It’s really nice to be asked to do it and a good opportunity for me.”

Welshman Pryce has competed sporadically in 2018 while attempting to fund WRC2 outings, with the focus now switching to next year.

He did win the Escort Rally Special event in Belgium to celebrate 50 years of the model, and has impressed in multiple outings in the British Historic Rally Championship this year.