Nicky Grist tells us why the British Rally Championship is in rude health, and who he’s tipping for success in 2024
WITH an impressively strong roster of drivers, five manufacturers making fearsomely competitive fourwheel-drive Rally2 cars, and a new prime-time TV deal promising great coverage of all six rounds, things are looking up for a British Rally Championship that’s been in the doldrums for too long. We ask rally co-driving legend Nicky Grist for his analysis.
“With the cost of rallying, the old two and three-day events are not financially viable for a lot of people. The cost would be prohibitive. So they’ve condensed it down and this year, all of a sudden, I think there’s a lot more buzz,” he says. “We’ve got a lot more of the WRC 2 cars, with a lot of really good guys fighting for the championship at the top, and with the lower classes coming on behind, it looks like it’s on the up.”
Grist’s spectacular career meant he skipped the higher echelons of BRC competition, but he’s in no doubt about what it means to the sport of rallying.
“When you look at the list of the championship winners over the years, you’ve got the best of the best. You know, Stig Blomqvist, Hannu Mikkola, Michele Mouton and even Walter Rohrl dabbled in the championship with Audi, and Mikael Sundström with Peugeot. There’s been so many key individuals from the higher echelons of the sport, and I think to add your name to that list, it’s a pretty good accolade.” So who are the names to
watch in the BRC this year, whether you’re out on the stages with the rally die-hards, or watching the telly at home?
“I think for Meirion [Evans] and his new Yaris, it’s going to take a little time to bed in. Probably the first event’s gonna be tough for him,” reckons Grist. “Chris Ingram, because the Yaris isn’t available for him yet, is jumping straight into a VW Polo. He won the first round in a Polo last year, and he’s a fast driver.
“Someone who plays a sensible game, keeping the right pace, not making a mistake, picking up points on every round, could come off well. So I think the likes of Meirion or Will Creighton will be there
at the end of the season.”