Rally Sponsorship

Rally driver James Williams left the opening round of the Motorsport UK British Rally Championship in Cumbria wondering what might have been, as the Welsh ace suffered a puncture whilst fighting for the lead on the Malcolm Wilson Rally – the opening round of the series last weekend (11 March).

25-year-old James Williams and co-driver Dai Roberts were full of optimism ahead of the new season. A new car, new sponsor partners and a new focus – as the Welsh pair eye a title assault on Britain’s premier rallying series. Driving a four-wheel-drive, turbo-charged Ford Fiesta Rally2 for the first time in the championship – Williams was out to better his rally best of second place and third overall in the championship.

The Malcolm Wilson Rally, held in the picturesque Lake District suffered a generous helping of snow in the build-up to the rally – forcing the organisers to adjust and shorten the route – leaving just 40-miles of stages to do battle on. Williams and Roberts would start fourth on the road eager to light-up the proceedings.

Ice and snowy patches laid on the gravel, forestry stages – coupled with the low hanging sun, it made the grip very difficult to read on Saturday morning. Williams, full of optimism was quickest out of the blocks – taking the first stage win of the season to lead the rally by 0.1 seconds from World Championship driver Adrien Fourmaux, with four-time British Champion Keith Cronin another 3.8 seconds behind in third.

After a quick service to change tyres, James was back at it on the next stage – but got caught out by the icy conditions with a fifth gear spin getting the pulse racing. Gathering it up, the Newcastle Emlyn-based driver manged to keep himself in the top three on the leaderboard. However on the third test, disaster struck as Williams suffered a puncture early on in the stage – meaning he had to thread his Fiesta through the slushy conditions with just three tyres on his car. Thankfully the crew had a spare wheel and tyre in the car – so were able to change it on the roadside and head back to service.

Rallying can be a cruel mistress, but undeterred, Williams knew that you have to be in it to win it, especially with a long and demanding championship such as the BRC. Throwing caution to the wind, Williams and Roberts set two third fastest stage times to haul themselves up to fourth overall at the end of the rally. Not the result they came for, but useful championship points none the less.

“I hope my luck changes soon,” grinned Williams, who endured a mixed 2022 season. “We wanted to come here and try and put a mark on proceedings and come out the blocks fast to show what we are capable of. I think we did that and think a top two was in the cards, but it just wasn’t meant to be!

“When you are going at these speeds, it’s like running on a knife edge – sometimes you get away with something – the next corner you could come into difficulty and we just fell onto the unlucky side with the puncture. Once you have one of those – on a short rally like this – it is impossible to make any time back on those at the front.

“We will bounce back, we have a couple of months before the next round in Scotland – so we can look at this rally [Malcolm Wilson Rally] and see where we can improve so we can be fighting for victory next time out.

“I also want to say a big thank you to all the marshals, officials and volunteers who braved the weather this weekend to put on an event for us. These guys are the unsung heroes and it really does mean a lot to have them making the show happen.”

The next round of the British Rally Championship will be hold on the Jim Clark Rally (26-27 May).

25-year-old James Williams is firmly focused on the Motorsport UK British Rally Championship this season, with the Welshman eyeing up his first BRC win and a targeted title tilt in 2023.

Williams enjoyed a stellar first season in the top-flight of Britain’s premier rallying series last year – with third overall and top rookie in the closely fought contest. In 2023, the Newcastle Emlyn-based driver returns, and ready to be fighting at the front once again with a renewed hunger.

The season gets underway earlier than usual with the Malcolm Wilson Rally in Cumbria becoming a British Championship round for the first time this Saturday. James will be joined by regular co-driver Dai Roberts in the navigators seat – but the pair will be driving a new car for the campaign ahead.

The Welsh crew will be equipped with a NPL Rally Hire prepared four-wheel-drive, turbo-charged Ford Fiesta Rally2 following the use of a Hyundai i20 R5 last season. James last drove a Fiesta Rally2 at the end of the 2021. In a one off drive, he gelled with the car instantly – challenging the established BRC frontrunners at the time.

“Good things come to those who wait some might say, and I think being patient has paid off in the off season this year,” said an enthusiastic Williams.

“I have been working hard since the end of the last year, and I wanted to be sure we had the right package to do the business this year. Last season was a good year on the whole, but I have high standards and want to improve in many areas. If I want to be realistically fighting for wins and hopefully the title, the Ford Fiesta is one of the cars for the job. It’s a proven winner around the world and I want to thank NPL Rally Hire and M-Sport for putting this deal together.

“I am also really excited to bring Orange Amps into rallying for the first time – an exciting brand with lots of colour and flair, something we want to bring to the BRC this year. I am also pleased to welcome Marion Freight UK and the return of Hyundai Power Products, who were so good to me last year.

“Last year was a learning year –  I am not here to learn anymore, as we are here to turn up the dial and give it our best performance, and that starts this weekend on the Malcolm Wilson [Rally]. The car will be right at home on the stages as the Fiesta Rally2 was built just a stone’s throw away in Cockermouth by Malcolm Wilson’s M-Sport firm – so we have the right tool to get things started.”

Talking about the championship as a whole, Williams was in a buoyant mood despite the strong opposition.

“Once again the BRC has some quality world class drivers in the field again. All eyes will be on World Championship driver [Adrien] Fourmaux who will be in a similar car and Keith Cronin who is out for his fifth BRC title – so it will be interesting to see how close we can get to them. As we found out last year, it’s a long, old year and you have to be there at the end for a chance of taking this championship – a position we hope to be in come the final round.”

James Williams, Dai Roberts and all of the JWR Team are looking forward to getting stuck into the first round of the year – the Malcolm Wilson Rally in Cumbria. 43-miles on loose and challenging gravel stages in the Greystoke Forest and a strong entry list are the hurdles Williams and Roberts have to overcome to claim a first victory and a strong start to the campaign.

We would like to congratulate James on his AMAZING achievement coming 3rd overall in the British Rallying Championships. As you can imagine this is no small feat. James has strived for excellence and shown his skill and determination, showing if you put your mind to it and work hard you can achieve greatness.  WELL DONE James!! Please read all about James’ most recent triumph below: 

Welshman James Williams secured third in the 2022 Motorsport UK British Rally Championship on the final round – the Visit Conwy Cambrian Rally in North Wales last weekend (28-29 October).

24-year-old Williams, who had secured three podiums ahead of the season curtain call was ready to do battle for his first win of the season in Britain’s premier rallying series. Two days and 10 stages awaited for James, co-driver Dai Roberts and the Hyundai Power Products Rally Team.

Two night stages opened the proceedings on the opening day, with 13 miles held under total darkness. The Newcastle Emlyn driver gambled by running the Hyundai i20 R5 rally car in Tarmac speciation, with only a 15 minute night time service to change the car over to gravel specification for the following day. Unfortunately, the potential advantage was wiped away when a turbo boost pipe disconnected – leaving James with limited power. 

Into the evening service and the Hyundai Power Products Rally Team managed to change suspension, brakes, wheels and tyres and fix the boost pipe in under 13 minutes –  a heroic effort to give James and Dai a shot of making an indent into the time loss on the second day.

Williams woke up in an inspired mode – firing the four-wheel-drive Hyundai to three fastest BRC times – some just a handful of seconds behind World Championship driver and eventual event winner Oliver Solberg.

Whilst in attack mode, James lost his front bumper and headlight when brushing a straw bale, leaving the service team with a repair job before the afternoon loop. Salvaging whatever spare parts they could – the team turned the Hyundai around for the final set of stages – with a shot of podium in site.

Sadly the event was to take another turn for the worse, as James’ power steering failed – meaning the Welshman had to wrestle the car to the finish. His reward for his heroics was third in the BRC and with it third in the championship standings as well as top rookie in the series. 

“You just couldn’t script our Cambrian Rally,” said an exhausted Williams. “It didn’t start on the right foot for us and it just snowballed from there. I was personally disappointed, but the morale of the team just lifted me every time. I owe everything to the Hyundai Power Products team – they turned the car around on Friday night with time to spare and helped me salvage a result this weekend to tie up third place in the championship.

“We have to look at the year as a whole. We have had some greats moments but we showed some real character and resilience as a team during the dark times and by digging deep, it enabled us to finish top rookie and I am immensely proud of that.

“I want to thank all my partners, sponsors and supporters for helping me get to the end of the season. This result was for them as they kept me going and got me to the end of the year. We have lots to do ahead of 2023 – but we want to get on the planning early, so we can aim for big things in the new year.” 

CLAY PIGEON FIRST Motorsport UK RACE 9TH OCTOBER

SAT PRACTICE – Saturday practice saw Lewis step up to racing against the more experienced Motorsport UK field at the Clay Pigeon Karting Track. A good step for Lewis, means learning from his new competitors and getting quicker with every lap! 

SUNDAY RACE DAY –

Practice – Finished practice in P4 of 22 competitors, putting the JCB Tools go-kart right in the mix with the fastest last sector. A good confidence booster heading into the first of the races. 

HEAT 1 –  Starting stone last was the short straw but this is the penalty for being a novice (rookie season) –  Managed to work through the pack into 16th position, but being held up in traffic meant progress was slow. 

HEAT 2 – Again, starting stone last in P22, made some overtakes to get into P18. However, lap times were improving, moving closer to the front of the field. 

HEAT 3 – P22 to P18 again, despite a spin at the start trying to overtake. Despite this, the lap times again improved by a further two-tenths a lap for the JCB Tools kart as the track rubbered in. 

Final – P19, again another spin in a trying effort to overtake some of the trafiic. However again improving the lap times to showcase a 12th fastest lap in the race on debut in the Motorsport UK British Karting Championship. 

Lewis after the final race: 

‘The results were not what we were hoping for coming to this track, however, we’ve learned a lot racing with more experienced drivers and stepping up to the Motorsport UK championship. In regards to lap time we managed to find 3 tenths in the racing which is quite a bit at this level or karting, so I’m really pleased with that.’ 

‘Next up for us is some Driver coaching with Kieran at Clay Pigeon on the 28th of October, followed by an IKR race the next day. I’m aiming for that podium!’

James narrowly missed out on a podium result on Trackrod Rally Yorkshire last weekend (23-24 September) – round six of the Motorsport UK British Rally Championship (BRC) as he finished fourth overall. 

James produced a sensational drive on the previous round of Britain’s premier rallying series – by giving the Rally2 version of the Hyundai i20 it’s UK debut and backing it up with three podiums on the event, overall third, second in the BRC and first in the National Asphalt series.

The opening day on Friday night saw a single night time test. With Dai Roberts calling the pacenotes, the pair threaded their four-wheel-drive turbo-charged Hyundai i20 through the opening 11 miles. With the surface of the forestry tracks incredibly dry, dust and night time mist caused visibility problems in places – but undeterred James made it through the opening night in fourth position – just a handful of seconds away from the rostrum.

On the second day, James started to get into his stride and kept evolving the set-up to his liking and was involved in a three-way fight for second place. Coming into the midday service halt – he was just 5.2 seconds away from second and 3.3 seconds away from a podium. Throwing everything at the final 24 miles of competitive stages – including setting a second fastest time on the final stage despite pop off valve issues – sadly, it wasn’t to be enough. James and Dai narrowly missed out on a podium – just a handful of seconds away – but a credible fourth almost confirms a top three position in the championship.

The next round of the British Rally Championship is the season finale on the Visit Conwy Cambrian Rally in North Wales. The legendary Welsh forests were used previously as part of the British round of the World Rally Championship – Wales Rally GB. James and Dai have plenty of experience in the North Wales forests and will be aiming for a strong finish to their debut season in the British Rally Championship top-flight.

The Visit Conwy Cambrian Rally will be based out of Llandudno on the 29th October.

West Wales’ 24-year-old James Williams has unfinished business in the Motorsport UK British Rally Championship (BRC), as he goes in search of his first podium on a gravel event this weekend.

Round six awaits in Yorkshire – with the Trackrod Rally (23-24 September) playing host to the latest challenge.

Williams, co-driver Dai Roberts and the Hyundai Power Products Rally Team have endured a season of two halves in Britain’s premier rallying series.

The three Tarmac rounds so far have yielded three podiums including a career best second place on Rali Ceredigion – James’ home event, last time out. On the gravel – it has been a different tale, with the two rounds to date ending in a retirement and a fourth placed finish.

With two rounds remaining on the gravel this season, James has two more objectives to try and tick off this year, score a podium on the loose surface, with the top-step of the rostrum the outright goal in his first season in the top-flight of the British Championship.

The gauntlet for this weekend sees two days of action in the forests near Filey in North East Yorkshire

The opening stage of the event will take place under moonlight, as James will launch his four-wheel-drive, turbocharged Hyundai i20 R5 into an opening night test before five further timed stages on Saturday, with the finish back in Filey mid-afternoon.

James said: “We had a great run on our home event last time out and it was a pleasure to give the Rally2 version of the Hyundai i20 its UK debut a couple of weeks ago.

“Now we are back in the R5 version – I car I know well and we will be looking to keep up the momentum from the last rally.

“I haven’t done this rally before, but I have heard so much about it. The stages are legendary and I am looking forward to the night stage on Friday night in particular – you can’t beat rallying in a forest at night – it’s spectacular for the crew and spectators.

“I have to be realistic – the guys in front of me in the championship – the pressure is on them to a degree as they have done this rally several times before.

“I will be looking to do my own thing and try and get myself on the podium and if I can fight for that win, I am going to give it everything.

“I don’t have anything to lose in the race for the championship like the other guys – so I can roll the dice and take a few risks which might hopefully pay off.

“It’s another short, sharp rally so it will be game on from the opening mile!”

Welshman James Williams recorded a fine third overall in front of a home crowd on Rali Ceredigion last weekend (3/4 September) – round five of the Motorsport UK British Rally Championship.

The 24-year-old from Newcastle Emlyn had been looking forward to competing on home soil ever since the 2022 British Rally Championship calendar was announced. Making his home bow even more special was the machinery Williams was tasked to drive on the West Wales roads. With the support of JDS Machinery, Valtra Tractors, Hyundai Power Products and Hyundai Motorsport – James and co-driver Dai Roberts were to give the Hyundai i20 Rally2 its UK debut.

Seeded at car five, amongst a star-studded cast – the two-day event was to start with two street stages through the town of Aberystwyth. Willed on by his family and local fans, Williams in the Hyundai Power Products Rally Team machine put on a show though the opening two tests to hold a top five position.

Stage 3, the final test of the opening day – James and Dai got into their stride in the darkness, recording the second fastest time to leapfrog them into second overall and leading BRC contender.

Early morning rain on Sunday morning presented a headache for the team as they debated the best options for tyre and set-up choice. Playing it safe, the team elected for wet tyres in the hope of more rain throughout the morning. However, the rain never came and James had to work his wets as best he could to get any grip on the drying, Tarmac roads. The Welsh team were pleased to record the third fastest time on the opening test of the day – damage limitation, but sadly haemorrhaged time to WRC driver Hayden Paddon and reigning Rali Ceredigion winner Osian Pryce in front of them. For the rest of the loop – James had to just keep the car on the road, but a puncture was to be another blow for the Hyundai driver.

With a large margin in front and behind – James and the team regrouped at the lunchtime service and opted to continue the charge and bring home a podium. The afternoon loop on Sunday showed progress for the team, and James really started to get to grips with the new machine as he punched in several top-two stage times.

With several series all being run on the event, James was the only driver to stand on three different championship podiums at the finish. Third overall on the rally, second in the British Rally Championship and first overall in the National Asphalt Championship. Dai, still has a chance of winning the co-driver title in the Asphalt series and will travel to the Three Shires Rally later this month with driver Damian Cole in the hope of clinching that title.

“What a whirlwind of an event,” said Williams. “The whole build-up was full on, we only picked the car up last week from Germany – it was an incredibly tight turnaround. I didn’t have as much time in the car as I would have liked, but I am really proud of our performance this weekend. I really thought a podium could be on the cards and I really do think the win was a possibility. I made the wrong tyre choice on Sunday, and that cost us – but after our run of bad luck to get a finish, and more importantly a podium on home soil in a new car – I have to step back and look at what a great achievement it was.

“We are back on the BRC podium again and we have equalled my best result in that series and to win the Asphalt Championship section is also really important and I am delighted to have given Dai a chance of winning that series as a co-driver this year.

“This event has really given us the confidence, we still have a very slim chance of the title, but now I have been on every other step of the BRC podium, I have just one more aim this year – to get my first win, and I will throw everything at it in the final two rounds.

“Seeing all the home support, was just awesome. Seeing members of Genpower, family and friends out on the stages – with arms waving and cheering was fantastic. The event was brilliant and it enabled us to show the sport to people who had never seen it and the guests in hospitality loved every minute.”

24-year-old James Williams got his Motorsport UK British Rally Championship campaign back on track at the weekend (13 August) with a fourth placed finish and a solid haul of points from the latest round of Britain’s premier rallying series.

Following a retirement on the previous event, the Nicky Grist Stages – James Williams, co-driver Dai Roberts and the Hyundai Power Products Rally Team were eager to bounce back and get their championship campaign up and running again. Scotland is a happy hunting ground for the team as Williams and Roberts secured their best result to date with a fine second overall on the Jim Clark Rally back in May.

Now in the blistering heat in August, the Grampian Stages would play host to the fourth contest of the series. The short-sharp, 45-mile gravel would favour the brave and reward those quick out of the blocks. 

On the opening loop of stages, the Welshman was in the hunt despite being caught up in the lingering dust from previous cars. After the first two stages, the Hyundai i20 R5 driver was fighting right at the very front, holding equal second – just a handful of seconds from the leader.

In the mid-event loop, brake woes dented James’ progress – dropping the Hyundai driver down to fifth in the order. The final two stages, Williams aimed to rebuild the confidence and overcome the mechanical problems that was robbing the Hyundai of its full power. Throwing caution to the wind, James pushed his way up to fourth – setting top two fastest stage times when everything was on song.

“I am pleased we got to the end of the rally, it was non-stop and incredibly hot. I want to say a massive thanks to my team, the event organisers and all the marshals working in the heat this weekend, allowing us to go rallying. 

“To get fourth, is bitter sweet. I am happy we got to the end but also it was a tale of what could have been. I think a podium, perhaps a win was definitely on the cards with some of the stage times we were putting in. But it wasn’t meant to be again.

“We are going to have to move on quickly to prepare for the next round in a few weeks’ time. We head to my home event in Wales next up and we are back on the Tarmac. The target will be a win as I want to be at the sharp end, giving the championship protagonists something to think about. I have been looking forward to Rali Bae all year – I think it will be pretty special event.”

The next round of the British Rally Championship will be in Aberystwyth for the Get Connected Rali Bae Ceredigion on 3-4 September. 

After a disappointing retirement on home soil last time out in Wales, James Williams will be looking to bounce back on the next round of the Motorsport UK British Rally Championship (BRC) as the series travels north to Scotland for the Grampian Forest Rally (13 August).

After an early exit on the Nicky Grist Stages last month due to a mechanical retirement, a rejuvenated James Williams is eager to get back to his podium finishing ways on the fast and flowing gravel stages near Aberdeen.

Williams and co-driver Dai Roberts have already recorded two rostrum results in their first year in the top-flight of the BRC, and will be eyeing a return to form in the Hyundai Power Products Rally Team Hyundai i20 R5.

The Grampian Forest Rally, like the Nicky Grist Stages will be a short-sharp affair, with 45 miles all that separates the crews from victory. Despite the retirement on the last event, round four will provide a new challenge for the 24-year-old, as he goes in search of his first victory in his maiden four-wheel-drive BRC campaign.

“The retirement on the Nicky Grist was a tough pill to swallow, but as everyone knows in rallying, it’s not always champagne and trophies. We parked that event long ago and we have been full focus on the next round. I want to say a massive thanks to Hyundai Motorsport and all the team for getting to the bottom of the problem quickly and helping Dai and I prepare for our next event. The Grampian will be a new rally for me, but I don’t see that hindering us too much. We can go there and make a new set of notes and go in with an open mindset.

“I have done a few other events in Scotland, and the stages are awesome when you get them right –  but can have some real unforgiving ditches and scenery. The winner will be someone who can get out the blocks fast on stage one and string together six faultless stages, as one mistake could drop you down the order with no mileage to use in a fight back.

“I hope we have a good run – I want to stay out of trouble and be neat and tidy, see if we can capitalise on any mistakes from others and hopefully we can be back on the podium and put our championship challenge back on course.” 

We arrived knowing we may be lacking some power compared to the others, but focused where we could on James, the carburation and the chassis to get the maximum from everything.  With this being James 2nd time to the track, being 6 years old vs 8 year olds, still and never having driven his RCE chassis around this track before we treated it more as a test weekend, with some upside.  After session 1, that all changed as James showed a lot of speed and we dialled even more into it over the test day.  Race day went well:

Quali – Pole by 6 tenths

Heat 1 – 1st. A dry race, didn’t get off the line very well, went back to second and did a great move around the outside for the lead on lap 1 on current championship leader of S1 & BKC.  Pulled a gap and maintained it to take the lead.

Heat 2 – Rain.  1st.  Starting 1st, with no wet setup, no wet experience around the track, we thought this could go any which way.  James has always shown a huge amount of speed in the wet, and dominated the race by a long way against all the normal tough competition.  10 seconds gap to 2nd

Heat 3.  Dry again, but with some wet patches!  1st. With a better start, we took the lead but hit a wet patch and spun off.  James regained in about 10th place, making up all lost time, to catch and pass leaders on the last corner of the race.

Final.  Due to a lot of red flags the final was shortened, but we had setup the kart for the full race as scheduled.  James got away into the lead for the first few laps  Current British championship leader Grayson was on out bumper and was able to make a great move from a slip stream getting passed us.  James instantly got the lead back but it was a very tense final with James going into the final lap in the lead and took the victory.

30/31 July 22.  UK Plate.  Shennington.

The third round of the Motorsport UK British Rally Championship last weekend, (9 July) was to be an unlucky affair for James Williams and the Hyundai Power Products Rally team. The dusty, gravel roads of the Nicky Grist Stages, which held a great deal of hope – where to cruelly bring the first retirement of the year for the British team.

Following two breakthrough podiums on the asphalt in the opening two rounds of the British Rally Championship, James Williams and co-driver Dai Roberts set about continuing their podium run as the championship moved to the gravel stages around Builth Wells.

Starting at car three, things didn’t start off on the right foot as the car was running off peak and down on power on the opening stage. A cleaner run on the second test saw James move into the podium fight before intercom failure slowed their progress. Roberts had to use a series of hand gestures to assist in the direction and severity of the corners ahead. Despite losing vital seconds, the Welsh crew held fourth in the British Championship at the mid-event service.

With the event so short – just 45 miles in length – making up the time on the top two, was going to be a big ask, so a podium finish would have been a solid outcome. The opening stage of the final loop was to see the return of the power problems – this time with a faulty turbo pop-off valve restricting the four-wheel-drive Hyundai i20’s performance – with  horsepower dropping by over a third compared to its usual output.

With no further service time and no spare in the car, Williams had to fully commit and carry as much speed through every single corner – putting pressure on himself and the car. Sadly at the end of SS7 with just one stage to go, the suspension of the Hyundai cried enough with the strut coming through the bonnet of the i20. A retirement with one stage to go on home soil was a bitter pill for Williams and Roberts to swallow.

“Today just wasn’t our day,” said a disappointed Williams. “The event went from bad to worse and we are gutted it ended in this way. We can take positives from this, we were able to overcome things that came in our way and importantly we never gave up until it wasn’t possible to go no more.

“I would like to thank the whole team, family and sponsors who came to support one of our local events – I am gutted I couldn’t bring home another podium for them. But we shake ourselves off and go again. We are still in a strong position and there are still another four rounds of the championship remaining. We will be seeking the champagne again next time.”

Williams and all of the Hyundai Power Products Rally Team will dust themselves off as they travel to Scotland for the Grampian Forest Rally – round four of the British Championship on 13th August. 

Following two podium finishes, James Williams comes home for the next round of the Motorsport UK British Rally Championship (BRC) – with the Nicky Grist Stages in Wales playing host to the latest encounter (9 July).

The British Championship powers into Builth Wells this weekend as Britain’s premier rallying series switches from the previous two rounds on the sealed-surface, to the rough and tough gravel of the Welsh forests. Last time out at the Jim Clark Rally, 24-year-old Williams along with experienced co-driver Dai Roberts claimed their best result together in the championship, with a stunning drive to second overall – pushing four-time BRC Champion Keith Cronin all the way in the process. Now the championship heads from Scotland to Wales and a switch of surface will provide the championship regulars a new test.

Over the past month, the Hyundai Power Products Rally Team have converted the four-wheel-drive, turbocharged Hyundai i20 R5 from an asphalt-hugging machine into a gravel spitting, mud-slinging weapon capable of tackling any condition thrown in its way. The one-day, short, sharp blast of 45 miles will utilise iconic Welsh timed stages including Crychan and Halfway. With a move to the gravel, this will identify those who can adapt over both surfaces, and the drivers ready to fight for the championship.

 “It has been a long month off, but the Hyundai Power Products Rally team have been busy converting the car and preparing for our first gravel event. I have done the event before, but only in a two-wheel-drive car, so there will be a lot to learn and get used to. “This isn’t quite my home event – we have that to come in September, but this is my next closest, so it will be great to tackle these awesome stages in front of a home crowd. The stages will be really fast and flowing – and commitment will be very important as we only have eight stages to do the business this weekend. It will be maximum attack from everyone from the get go.

“We are still early days in the championship, but after our two strong results on the Tarmac, I am optimistic ahead of this weekend and think if everything runs smoothly we can be challenging for a strong podium result once again.” 

24-year-old British Rally driver James Williams continued his podium setting ways by winning the RX150 class in the 5 Nations British Rallycross Championship at Mondello Park in Ireland last weekend (4-5 June).

Following a stunning second overall on the Jim Clark Rally – the second round the British Rally Championship, Welshman James Williams was invited to try his hand at another Motorsport UK discipline, as the organisers of the British Rallycross Championship offered-up a RX150 Buggy for the young British driver.

Rallycross was to be a completely new discipline for Williams to try his hand at, and along with getting to grips with his motorbike-powered rocket ship, James had to get accustomed to racing wheel-to-wheel with his fellow drivers on a half asphalt, half dirt circuit. 

The opening day saw a series of timed qualifying races – with the focus on recording the fastest race times throughout the heats – in order to secure a better position on the grid in the grand final.

Williams got off to a blistering start – snatching the lead of the Q1 race on the opening lap. Keeping his head down, the Newcastle Emlyn-based driver took an opening race win to get his BRX campaign off to a strong start.

However in Q2, James quickly found out how tough Rallycross can be. A stall off the start line dropped him down to the back of the pack. Now trying to pick his passes, a fellow competitor gave him a small nudge, which spun the British Rally driver around on the slippery, wet surface. Brushing himself off – James couldn’t find a way past his rivals in the closing stages, finishing in sixth.

Starting where you finish in the previous heat, the BRC star had to get his elbows out – something the Welshman isn’t used to doing in rallying. A strong start off the line put Williams right into the hunt, making up two positions into the first corner. In rallycross you have to be clinical with your passing, or use the slightly longer tactical ‘Joker Lap’ – which every driver must take once during the race – providing an undercutting opportunity. With patience and punching in fastest lap times enabled Williams to leapfrog the third placed driver as he came out of the ‘Joker’ on the final lap.

The final for the RX150 buggies was to be a tantalising prospect. Sitting in his front-row grid slot, the start and commitment into the first corner was going to be vital for a strong showing in the final race of the day. A scorching start from the Hyundai Power Products driver enabled him to get into the first corner first, and with some late braking, enabled him to swoop into the lead. Now out front, Williams had clear road and clear visibility as he chalked up the laps – setting rapid lap times – just a second off the top-flight Super Cars in another class. With time on his side, James, carefully threaded his buggy through the slightly longer ‘Joker’ on the final lap to come out in front and seal his first rallycross final victory at his first attempt.

“I had an absolute blast at the weekend,” said an enthusiastic Williams. “I have been involved in rallycross previously, running cars for other drivers, but I have never had a chance of giving it a go, but now I am kind of hooked!

“It’s completely unlike anything I have done previously as they [RX150 Buggies] are really wild, need a lot of commitment and patience – all at the same time. I loved giving the racing side of things a try and that was another challenge, but with some good drivers around you in these things, it’s a lot of fun. I actually almost didn’t take my Joker! I was enjoying myself so much I almost forgot to take it. Thankfully I remembered – otherwise we wouldn’t have won!

“I want to say a big thank you to Ollie O’ Donovan, the RX150 Team, Rockland Concrete and the British Rallycross Championship for having me. If there is another invite to get behind the wheel again, I am grabbing it with both hands.”

Following his Rallycross escapade, James Williams will return to British Rally Championship action next month as he takes on the gravel stages of the Nicky Grist Stages (9 July) – round three of the British Rally Championship, where Williams currently sits second in the standings.  

Welsh rally driver James Williams enjoyed one of his most successful events in his rallying career to date last weekend, as he achieved a double podium for the Hyundai Power Products Rally Team on the Jim Clark Rally in Scotland.

Williams, along with co-driver Dai Roberts drove faultlessly over the two-day event around the town of Duns in southern Scotland. The pair came second in the British Rally Championship category and first overall in the Motorsport UK National Asphalt Championship – having registered for both series. 24-year-old Williams came off the back of a strong BRC season opener – claiming third overall in Clacton, Essex at the wheel of his Hyundai i20 R5 rally car. Confident of a good result, the Newcastle Emlyn-based driver was eager to fight for another British Championship podium and a top-step in the National Asphalt series.

On the opening night, two stages equating to over 23-miles was the first challenge of the event. Recording two, third fastest stage times, his smooth and consistent approach saw him slot into second overall at the overnight halt – 40.6 seconds behind the rally leader, four-time BRC champion Keith Cronin.

On the final day – the young British driver in his four-wheel-drive, turbocharged Hyundai had the bit between his teeth as he was given a joint fastest stage time with three other crews, as they all cleared the average speed ‘bogey time’ set by the organisers. This sadly denied Williams and Roberts a chance of denting the deficit to Cronin. Eager to show his pace, Williams on the following special stage would finish the 6.28-mile stage just 0.5 seconds behind the rally leader. The roles reversed on Stage 5 – with Williams ahead of Cronin by half a second – matching the times of the sealed-surface specialist coming into the lunchtime service halt.

Stage 6 and 9 were cancelled – which meant two stages stood between James’ best ever rally result. However, it wasn’t all going to be plain sailing in the Hyundai. SS7 saw the Welsh crew suffer power problems, which dropped them into the clutches of the third placed crew.

Ahead of the last stage, James and Dai checked everything on the car, in the hope of giving them the best possible chance of fighting for their best ever career result. Whatever the problem was, it solved itself, as the crew flew through the final 8.75 miles of the event, entertaining the thousands of spectators lining the route in the process. The spirited run netted them the fastest stage time – enabling them to secure second in the British Rally Championship and sealing top National Asphalt points scorer in the process. “We are over the moon with that one,” enthused Williams. “The event was all about trying to drive within ourselves and keep it consistent  –  but my heart was in my mouth in the last stage. We had lost all turbo boost in the one before, so we had to really wring the neck of the car and empty the tank to stay in the front of the guys chasing us. Terrifying, but I really enjoyed having to fight and show our speed on this event.

“I want to say a big thanks to everyone who made this happen. I always drive with a lot of passion and emotion – with the heart on the sleeve every time I get in the car. We really enjoyed these roads, they were a real challenge and to come here fighting for victories and achieving two podiums in two championships is incredible, and it’s where we want to continually be. We have only done a handful of events in this car and the more rallies we do, the faster we are going to get – so look out for the rest of the season – we have big ambitions for the rest of the year.”

The British Rally Championship heads to Wales for James Williams and Dai Roberts as the third round of the series will be held at the Nicky Grist Stages in Builth Wells. Britain’s premier rallying series takes a tantalising twist, as the series moves from the smooth asphalt roads to forestry gravel tracks on Saturday 9 July. With the benefit of being on the familiar Welsh stages, the Hyundai Power Products Rally Team will be gunning for a strong result on home soil.