EMLYN TEEN GOING PLACES

Talented teenage driver James Williams will compete for the Spencer Sport rally team in this year’s Prestone MSA British Rally Championship.

Williams from Newcastle Emlyn and co driver Phil Hall will be all out to impress in the forthcoming BRC Junior Championships driving a Ford Fiesta R2.

Joining them in the team will be 2016 Drive DMACK Fiesta Trophy Champions Osian Pryce and co-driver Dale Furniss (pictured below) who will race in the senior event in a Ford Fiesta R5

Following a successful year for the Llandysul based Spencer Sport, when it finished second in 2016 in its first ever season in Britain’s premier rally series, the bar has been set high. However, with the line up is has this year the team is confident it can continue to run at the front of the field and mount an attack on both the overall and Junior titles:

“Having a year in the BRC under out belts, we start this season with all that experience behind us”, explains team principal Charlie Jukes.

“We achieved a 100% finishing record with our R5 Fiesta last year, so if we can maintain that level of consistency and reliability this season, with the drivers and co-drivers we have, I believe we have an excellent chance of scoring podium results in both classes on each round and at the end of the season.”

Having previously worked with Spencer Sport as a test driver and having won the BRC National Rally Cup category on last year’s opening round in one of its R5 specification Mitsubishi Mirages, Pryce is looking forward to a full season with the team:

“I am extremely pleased that everything has come together in time for the first round. It’s great to be back driving with Spencer Sport. A lot of people have been working hard behind the scenes to make this year happen and I’m very grateful to them for that.

“Having finished third once and runner-up twice, there’s definitely some unfinished business between me and the British Rally Championship. So, with a great team and some excellent support behind me, I’ll be going for gold this season.”

Teammate Williams is also familiar with the Spencer Sport team and, having contested a Ford KA in the past and then made his BRC debut driving a Vauxhall ADAM in the National category on the Isle of Man in 2016, the 19 year-old is excited to be embarking on a journey to become British Junior Champion:

“This is a very big year for me. I realise that I might not have the experience of some of the drivers I’ll be up against, but I’m extremely positive and have aspirational targets. I’ve been working hard during the winter, not only on my driving, but my fitness as well – both physical and mental. I have to admit, I can’t wait to get started!”

Hoping that its legacy of good fortune will continue, the car James will be driving is actually Osian’s Drive DMACK winning Fiesta that has since been refurbished by M-Sport in readiness for 2017.

The first round of the 2017 Prestone MSA British Rally Championship takes place on Saturday 18th March with the Brick & Steel Border Counties Rally. Based in Jedburgh, the event comprises two stages on Friday evening and a further seven on Saturday that combined, provide a total of 57 competitive miles in the northern Kielder Forest area.

Team information Ford Fiesta R5: Driver: Osian Pryce – 24 years old, from Machynlleth Co-driver: Dale Furniss – 28 years old, from Llanfyllin Ford Fiesta R2: Driver: James Williams – 19 years old, from Newcastle Emlyn Co-driver: Phil Hall – 28 years old, from Nottingham

Spencer Sport’s 2107 British Rally Championship campaign is supported by: Spencer ECA, DMACK, Alphera Financial Services, Hills Ford, Oil 4 Wales, Porter Dodson Solicitors, Nicky Grist Motorsport, Speedline Corse, PIAA, Atec Racing, United Airpower, West Wales Rally Spares and HT Installations.