Evans calls time on problematic campaign.
The Nicky Grist Stages, round five of the British Rally Championship would see Lampeter’s Meirion Evans take another solid fourth overall in the Dmack Junior BRC series, on the back of an identical result at the Scottish Rally just two weeks previously. However, following a problematic season, the event would prove to be his last, as he announces his withdrawal from the series.
Based at the Royal Welsh Showground in Builth Wells, the Nicky Grist Stages would provide a unique challenge to the BRC crews competing on the event – a two day, mixed surface Rally. Beginning on the gravel roads of Crychan, Halfway, Route 60 and Monument on day 1, the event then switched to ten tarmac stages across Epynt Military Ranges on day 2, totalling more than 100 competitive miles across the weekend.
With the Melvyn Evans Motorsport run Ford Fiesta R2T back to full health following a fault with the cars turbo on the Scottish just two weeks previously, Meirion and co-driver Jonathan Jackson were confident of being able to finally prove their pace on the classic Welsh tests on which they both learnt their craft on.
A confident start it was as, after the opening two stages, the pair lay less than ten seconds off second place in the ultra-competitive DMACK Junior BRC series. Competing against 12 other drivers aged 26 and under, the twenty year old Welshman was able to prove his speed despite limited seat time during the season in a healthy car – no mean feat against Junior drivers with experience on the European Stage.
Unfortunately, a puncture during the events third stage would immediately undo the pairs strong start to the event, losing more than thirty seconds to their closest rival and with it, any hope of a podium position by the end of day 1. A string of competitive times during the afternoon stages however, would keep the pressure on those in front going into the tarmac tests which lay ahead of the crews.
Sunday dawned overcast, but dry, with early spots of rain not dampening the pairs hopes for a strong opener to day two. However, with the crew remaining in fourth as they entered the midday service, rain began to fall – as did the crews confidence. With the remainder of the event cancelled due to a serious incident, the event came to an early close – a blow for all concerned;
“This rally was the first time since round 1 that we had a healthy car and, I was very happy to be able to be near the pace from the word go. We were in the fight with the frontrunners up until our puncture and kept ourselves within touching distance for Sunday’s stages in difficult conditions. The feeling on gravel was very good – I suppose it’s what could have been if everything had worked the way we wanted this year and we’d got the miles we should have got. We had high hopes for Sunday, but it was just one of those days. I couldn’t get a good feeling with the tyres and couldn’t commit to braking and corners as I’d like to. We decided to settle for our position and keep the car in one piece taking no risks to bring her home”
With the 2016 being compromised by a series of problems, a decision was made by the team shortly after the event to call time on their Junior British Rally Championship campaign for 2016 and focus on the options available for the future, as Meirion explains;
“This year has been very difficult to say the least, the most challenging few months of my career by a mile. It’s been hard to stay motivated at times knowing the ability to fight at the front is there whilst being restricted by various issues but, we went to every rally on a clean slate having worked hard to give ourselves the best opportunity. We decided after the weekend to sit back and look ahead at the best options for our future and to draw a line under the past few months. Being a part of the BRC has been great and I’ve had the chance to put myself up against some brilliant drivers from across Europe. It’s just a shame that I never got the chance to show my best. But I think we can be proud of what we’ve done when we haven’t been hit by some sort of problems. We might still be back next year!”
Meirion, Jonathan and the Melvyn Evans Motorsport team would like to thank the Championship organisers and fellow competitors for their help and support throughout 2016 and wish them luck for the remainder of the season.
Many thanks to Jakob Ebrey Photography
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