PADDON JOINS BRITISH RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP FIGHT FOR RALI CEREDIGION
Osian Pryce will lead a star-studded field away from Aberystwyth this Saturday for the second running of Rali Ceredigion.
Pryce won the first edition of the event back in 2019 in a Hyundai i20 R5 but will take on Wales’ only closed public road rally in a Volkswagen Polo GT R5 this time around. He’ll resume his British Rally Championship title fight with Keith Cronin – the pair heading to Wales with two wins apiece so far this season. Alongside regulars Ruairi Bell, James Williams, Jason Pritchard, Garry Pearson and Elliot Payne, Hayden Paddon will take on the best of Britain in an Albatec Racing i20 R5 – taking part in the Tour European Rally series which joins the BRC and Asphalt Rally Championship on the event.
The dark horse, though, is perhaps Meirion Evans who is fresh from winning his first international rally and led in 2019 before crashing into a lake. The Welshman told MN: “I’ve got nothing to lose in a way, we’ve done everything I set out to do this year already. I’ve won in Scotland, England and Northern Ireland now so there’s only Wales left…”
Evans could potentially face a dilemma if he is leading the rally ahead of Pryce, as Pryce – who is run by the family Melvyn
Evans Motorsport team – is in a championship fight while Evans isn’t. But Evans isn’t planning any team orders.
“I let him win in 2019, so I’m not going to give him another one!,” he said. “On the Jim Clark we were fourth overnight and I said that morning we’d have probably let him go to get some points, but if the win’s on the line there [on Rali Ceredigion] I can’t see myself giving it to him to be honest. But it’ll be tough to beat him, and Keith to be fair.”