Matthew Hirst takes a healthy 22-point Motorsport UK Pirelli Welsh Rally Championship lead into the Nicky Grist Stages (Saturday 8 July) – and the defending champion will be favourite to score his fourth win of the 2023 season in his Pirelli-shod Delta Salvage/Witham Group Ford Fiesta R5.
The Doncaster driver returns to Builth Wells reunited with regular co-driver Declan Dear, who was away on honeymoon for the previous round.
They are looking forward to repeating their Nicky Grist Stages Interclub victory of last year, after they won the event for the first time in 2022.
Simon Rogers is enjoying a magnificent season in his MacWhirter Motorsport-prepared Mitsubishi and lies second in the overall Pirelli Welsh drivers’ standings and leads class W13.
There has been little to separate Rogers and Martyn Andrews this year, with just seconds between them at the end of all three rallies.
Robert Gough has been on inspired form this year, winning the Restruct Welsh Historic class W9 on the first two rounds before an engine problem interrupted his great run last time out.
He may have lost the class lead to Lyn Davies/Aled Richards (Wales Motorsport-prepared Escort Mk2), but Gough (who is co-driven by Paul Morris) will be aiming to return to his winning ways.
Andrew Stokes/Jonny Tad Evans lead the Historic class W8 in their Ford Escort RS1600 & Gethin Price take a strong class W2 lead into the event in his RKP Haulage Nissan Micra respectively.
