IT’S the one standout event of 2024 that the Castrol MEM Rally Team has been looking forward to the most, as the FIA European and Probite British Rally Championships come together this weekend for a battle royale over the technical, bumpy and fast local mid-Wales closed road stages on the JDS Machinery Rali Ceredigion (30 August – 1 September).

The Carmarthenshire team’s pair of Castrol Toyota GR Yaris Rally2s will be driven by Chris Ingram/Alex Kihurani and Meirion Evans/Jonathan Jackson – each aiming to score maximum BRC points on Legs 1 and 2, as Britain’s biggest rally hosts a double header round of the series.

For Chris, this will be his first asphalt event in the Yaris Rally2. The Suisscourtage / Michelin-backed driver is second in the BRC standings, just one point behind leader William Creighton, with two victories out of four in the bank.

The 2019 European champion knows how fast and furious the leading pace will be, and whilst he’ll contest the event for the first time – and unlike many of his rivals, he has no prior knowledge of the stages – Chris will arrive as one of the favourites for victory.

So too will his team-mate Meirion, from Lampeter, who brings with him a vast amount of asphalt rallying expertise. He finished second on Rali Ceredigion in 2023 and with victories on major closed road stage events like the Galway International, Ulster, Argyll and Three Shires rallies he will be a serious contender again this time.

Meirion is sixth in the BRC and will be aiming to take full advantage of the double header to rocket up the leaderboard.

Meirion said: “Everyone that has come into the workshop recently has been talking about Rali Ceredigion, so it seems that everyone in the area is looking forward to it.

“It’s a dream for me to complete on closed road stages in my home area and to do that as part of the European Rally Championship takes it to another level as well.

“But we can’t treat it any differently to any other rally as we have to go out and do our job, perform as well as we can, trust what we do and hope that it brings us a good result – which is what we always try to do.

“We have to look at the British Rally Championship because Rali Ceredigion is two scoring rounds.

“It’s almost a third of the entire season in one event, so scoring well on both days is very important for both the BRC drivers’ and teams’ titles.

“Having said that, we’d like to be competitive against the ERC crews, and I don’t think that the BRC boys will be far away from the front anyway.

“This year’s Rali Ceredigion is a chance to compete against the best. It’s what we all love to do, and it’s wonderful to be able to do it so close to home.”

Chris Ingram said: “Rali Ceredigion will be a little bit like going into the lion's den – or should that be Welsh dragon’s den?!

“There are many fast local Welsh drivers, including my own team-mate Meirion who has a strong chance of victory.

“Alex and I will approach it like any other rally and despite it being our first drive on asphalt in the Toyota GR Yaris Rally2, we’re confident in our level and pace.

“Although it’s an ERC round we are fully focused on the British Rally Championship this year. Having said that, I think the fastest BRC crews will be fighting for the overall win anyway.”

This year’s Rali Ceredigion will contain 14 stages and 113.7 stage miles, starting on Friday 30 August and finishing on Aberystwyth Promenade on Sunday 1 September.