NATIONAL RALLY DRIVER OF THE YEAR

1 OSIAN PRYCE

This was a landmark year for Welshman Osian Pryce, who finally achieved a long-held ambition of winning the British Rally Championship. This year he has been fast and competitive on every event, although a disqualification from the Jim Clark over driving on a puncture was a significant early blow. He had to dig deep to keep his title bid running and to find the budget to run the Polo R5, but he did it and was a worthy champion with a rally left to run.

2 KEITH CRONIN

Irishman Keith Cronin is a perfect example of a driver who should be competing in the British Rally Championship. As a four-time title winner he came back to rallying fully this year at the age of 36 to have another crack at the BRC title. Though his career will not now take him to the world stage, he remains incredibly quick, consistent and competitive on all surfaces and is a fantastic benchmark for the younger drivers coming in to the BRC.

3 ELLIOT PAYNE

Still only 19 years old, Yorkshiremen Elliot Payne is one of the brightest stars in British rallying right now. Armed with the best available equipment, thanks to his rallying father Charlie, Elliot has delivered consistently this year. In a twin campaign in the BTRDA Rally Series and the BRC, the BTRDA title was always his prime target. After a series of strong results he became the youngest-ever Gold Star winner and that success is thoroughly deserved. He has a bright future.

4 DAVID HENDERSON

One of the most impressive drivers of the season in national rallying has been David Henderson. Once a rising single-seater racer and then hopeful rally driver, he is back after the better part of two decades away. He quickly graduated to a Fiesta R5 and cherry-picked events in different championships. He won in the Scottish championship; he won in BTRDA and he won on closed roads. The Durham driver could be a serious contender for any championship should he focus on one for 2023.

5 DAVID BOGIE

David Bogie remains one of Scotland’s most successful rally drivers after adding a sixth Scottish Rally Championship title this season. He started with the old faithful Mini WRC before trading up to a Fiesta Rally2. Five top-three finishes laid the foundations of his title, which was secure with a round to run. He also took time out to rally his modified Ford Escort Mk2 in Ireland. Maybe it is time for this fine driver to reprise his 2011 British Rally Championship title.

6 NEIL ROSKELL

This has been a remarkable year for Neil Roskell. It opened with victory in the Circuit Rally Championship and ended with the runner-up slot in the Asphalt Rally Championship. Armed with a Fiesta R5 Roskell belied his modest experience to be quick everywhere, including on some of the UK’s toughest closed-road rallies. His overall victory on the Manx National in May was testimony to his incredible progress. He narrowly missed the Asphalt title but can be immensely proud of a busy season.

7 MATTHEW HIRST

In 2022, Matthew Hirst really came of rallying age as he won the Welsh Championship and ran Elliot Payne close in the BTRDA Rally Series. Armed with a Ford Fiesta R5, Hirst took to the new machine in some style. BTRDA and Welsh victories came thick and fast and winning the BTRDA section of the Nicky Grist was a landmark result. Rear suspension damage on the Woodpecker hurt his BTRDA bid but he was strong everywhere and showed he had really come to terms with the R5.

8 JOSH MOFFETT

With 10 wins from 13 starts at the top of Irish rallying, Josh Moffett has clearly been the best driver on Irish asphalt this season. Armed with his Hyundai i20 R5, he has taken both the Irish Tarmac and Irish National crowns in a spectacular season. With speed and consistency to spare, he only once finished outside the top two, and that was with a fourth on the Ulster when he just needed a reasonable finish to seal the crown. He has been the complete package.

9 STEVE WOOD

Quietly spoken Welshman Steve Wood was not particularly well known in Britain until this year, for most of his rallying had been done in Ireland. But by winning the Asphalt Rally Championship, Wood showed that he is a match for just about anyone in his Ford Fiesta WRC. Other than an off on the Argyll Rally he was always in the hunt and sealed the title on his first visit to the Isle of Man. He was a most worthy champion against tough rivals.

10 JOSH PAYTON

As the only driver in a two-wheel-drive car in our national rallying top 10, Josh Payton has shown his class and pace in his well-modified Ford Escort Mk2. His performances in the MN Circuit Rally Championship have been nothing short of sensational as he has taken the fight to the four-wheel-drive supercars, often mixing it with them. Quick, stylish and superb to watch, Payton is a great advocate for the two-wheel-drive section of any asphalt rally.