Osian: double BRC Champion!

Osian Pryce has secured his second British Rally Championship title after winning the Cambrian Rally (Saturday 24 October) in his Castrol MEM Rally Team Toyota GR Yaris Rally2.

His BRC triumph came just a week after Osian secured the 2026 FIA European Historic Rally Category 3 title in a Wales Motorsport-built Ford Escort RS1800 Mk2 on the Sanremo Rally.

Conditions were considerably more challenging in the North Wales forests than they had been in Italy, with Storm Boelo bringing strong winds and torrential rain. The storm left deep standing water and extremely muddy and slippery sections, making the iconic forest stages even more demanding.

A suspected electrical issue left Osian unable to see which gear he was in or select neutral or reverse at the start of the event. Knowing that a spin or overshoot could end his rally, the 2022 British Rally Champion adopted a cautious approach and was surprised to arrive at the midday service halt in the lead.

Co-driven by James Morgan, Osian set out on the afternoon’s final four stages aiming to manage a 14.9-second lead. With conditions worsening, that was easier said than done. Yet the 33-year old Machynlleth-born driver used all his experience to set the second-fastest time on each stage in his Michelin-shod Toyota. He held off Max McRae to win by just 1.2 seconds and secure his second British Rally Championship title.

“I’m over the moon to win the British Rally Championship title for a second time, especially in such seriously challenging conditions as we had on the Cambrian Rally,” says Osian.

“We didn’t have the best of starts, with what we think was a wiring issue with the car before the first stage. That meant we couldn’t see what gear we were in, and we couldn’t engage neutral or, more importantly, reverse. If we’d spun or had an overshoot, we’d have been in big trouble!

“We therefore had to be very careful through the morning’s loop of stages and I was very surprised to be leading at midday service. I know Max [McRae] made a few mistakes in the morning, but all in all it wasn’t the best of starts for us either.

“We went into the afternoon with a fifteen-second lead, which we tried to manage. It was a little closer than I’d have liked, especially as the weather was deteriorating and visibility on the final stage was particularly compromised, but it all came good in the end. It’s been a fantastic year-long battle with Meirion and Max and it’s been a tough title to win – as the British Rally Championship should be.

“A huge ‘thank you’ to the Castrol MEM Rally Team. It’s been a big effort, especially in a short, sharp season spread over seven months, and I cannot thank everyone in the team enough. James has also been a tremendous help – not just with his co-driving skills, but also with his knowledge of the Toyota GR Yaris Rally2, which has helped me enormously.

“A massive thanks also to everyone who has supported me this year. I wouldn’t have been able to achieve this without my sponsors. Some are represented on the car, while others prefer to support me quietly without being named. People who were strangers at the start of the season have become good friends, and I’m lucky to have the support of my family and friends who have been with me for many years.”

Osian is supported by The Leading Edge, Hills Automotive, Haddo Energy, Demon Tweeks, LAS Recycling, Bell, Red Kite Glass, Rhode-Trax, Morrisons Daily, Superfast Properties, OMP, Zero Noise, Gorsaf Betrol Tymawr, Diogel Events, J.E. Rees & Sons, Jordan Road Surfacing, Glenbrook and his own family-run specialist building firm G+M Pryce.