The Castrol MEM Rally Team scored a magnificent 1-2 finish – its first in the British Rally Championship – on the Severn Valley Stages at the weekend with Osian Pryce/James Morgan winning on their Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 debut and team-mates Meirion Evans/Dale Furniss coming home a close second.
It was also a near clean sweep of stage wins for the team (six out of seven fastest stage times), as the Castrol duo finished almost 50 seconds ahead of their nearest BRC rivals.
The result gives Osian, the 2022 British Rally Champion, the lead in the BRC drivers’ standings, while Castrol MEM Rally Team tops the teams’ title race.
Despite having never rallied a Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 before, Osian set the fastest time on the opening stage and held a slender lead, just 3.4 seconds ahead of Meirion, at the midday service halt.
The 33-year old Machynlleth-born driver extended his advantage in the afternoon and completed a faultless drive through the final 18.65-mile Myherin Main stage to win by 19 seconds.
Fastest time on the first run through Myherin (SS3) moved Meirion up to second position, from where he challenged his Castrol Toyota team-mate for victory for the remainder of the event.
Leaving midday service, Meirion sensed a potential first major gravel rally win was on the cards. But the weather deteriorated in the afternoon, and a change of tyre compound for what turned out to be a wet and slippery final three stages saw Meirion settle for second – which performance-wise was arguably the 30-year old Lampeter driver’s most impressive run on a loose-surface event.
Osian Pryce said, “For my first event in a Toyota GR Yaris Rally2, I’m very happy with the performance and the result.
“We started sensibly. Stage one wasn’t perfect, but to win my first stage in the car was nice and we built on it from there really. The Toyota works slightly differently to everything else I’ve driven, so it was just a case of getting myself dialled in and the more miles we did the better it felt.
“It was nice to finish with that long stage, where you could really get stuck in and find a good rhythm. By then I was a lot more tuned into the car, and it meant that we left the event on a high.
“It all went according to plan and we got that important win, which is the best way to start a championship. It’s a good start and there’s definitely more to come.”
Meirion Evans added, “This is a magnificent result for the Castrol MEM Rally Team, and our first one-two finish in the British Rally Championship.
“For us, our performance was good – no mistakes, kept it clean, no punctures and everything worked like clockwork. Even though the stages are close to home, they’re not ones I know very well, so it was especially nice to get a stage win in Myherin, which is one of the all-time classic Welsh gravel stages. I think that shows more than anything that we have the pace on gravel now.
“It was close at midday and I thought we could go for the win. The weather was turning, so we went with a slightly different tyre strategy in the afternoon. It didn’t hinder us too much, until right at the end of the long final stage. It was eighteen and a half miles, and the surface was polished and down to the bedrock in places compared to the morning, but in fairness I don’t think it cost us enough to overturn the deficit at the end.
“I’d have liked to have won, but if it isn’t me on the top step then I obviously want the other Castrol Toyota to win – so many congratulations to Osian and James on winning the Severn Valley on their first event with the team.”
