Chris Ingram/Alex Kihurani have given the Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 its first victory in the UK by winning the 2024 Nicky Grist Stages – while Castrol MEM Rally Team stablemates Meirion Evans/Jonathan Jackson made it yet another double podium celebration for the Carmarthenshire squad with third in an identical car.
Chris set the fastest time through the opening Llyn Login stage, which was a remarkable achievement given that it was the first special stage that he’d ever driven in the Toyota. The Suisscourtage/Michelin-backed driver held a slender lead as he arrived back in Builth Wells for midday service and extended that advantage when the loop of four stages through Llyn Login, Monument, Halfway and Bowlsey were repeated in the afternoon. The 2019 FIA European rally champion finished 14.7 seconds ahead of second-placed Keith Cronin/Shane Buckley (Ford Fiesta Rally2).
It was also an excellent performance from Meirion, who continues to build his experience of rallying on the unfamiliar gravel surface. The morning’s stages were particularly loose, with patches of damp under the trees in Halfway making it even more tricky. After a cautious opening stage, Meirion held third at midday service and maintained that strong position after a confident and precise drive in the afternoon.
Chris Ingram said: “I’m delighted to give the Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 its first win in the UK. We had a great battle with Keith Cronin, and Meirion [Evans] was really quick as well. We only did twenty miles testing at most in the car before the Nicky Grist Stages, so to jump in and be on their pace on our first rally in the car is very encouraging. I’m sure we’ll find some tweaks to get the Toyota more suited to my driving style before the next round of the British Rally Championship and to keep improving is the key. There is a lot to come from both me and this car, and the aim is to unlock that potential in the next few rallies. Today was perfect preparation for the remainder of the BRC and we’ll keep moving forward from here for sure.”
Meirion Evans said: “I was a little scrappy in the morning – it was just a case of finding my feet again on gravel. The surface was a bit inconsistent too and loose in places and it was easy to run wide, which is what we did a few times. We clipped both rear wheels on separate stages and we were lucky not to get a puncture because a wheel had bent a bit, but there were no real dramas apart from that. The afternoon was really nice. It was the first time that I’d driven a four-wheel drive car on dry gravel and on a surface that was much more consistent in the afternoon I felt like we were improving with every stage. I’m not going to find the pace of the top guys on what is still a very unfamiliar surface overnight, but I’m sure we will get there. We’re not a million miles away, but it will take a bit more work. As for the Toyota Yaris, it once again ran perfectly.”
The Castrol MEM Rally Team’s next appearance will be on the Voyonic Grampian Forest Rally (9 August), Round 4 of the 2024 Probite British Rally Championship.
Images : Black Mountains Media, Paul Mitchell Photographic
