IOAN Lloyd and co-driver Sion Williams claimed a podium finish on round three of the ADAC Opel Electric Rally Cup at Rallye Weiz in Austria, strengthening their championship challenge in the all-electric series.

Llandysul driver Lloyd, 23, and Blaenau Ffestiniog's Williams arrived in Austria buoyed by victory on the previous round and added another strong result in their Vauxhall UK Mokka GSE Rally.

The pair faced tough competition from a 15-car field of identical Mokka GSE Rally cars, along with highly changeable weather conditions.

"The weather was even worse than west Wales, which is hard to believe," joked Lloyd. "There were fierce thunderstorms for 10 to 15 minutes and then you'd drive to the next stage and it was bone dry, with blue skies and 30-degree temperatures. It made tyre choice very difficult."

Despite the demanding conditions and notoriously slippery roads, Lloyd remained among the frontrunners throughout the event, battling closely with Germany's Timo Schulz and French rival Tom Dufour.

A highlight came on stage six when Lloyd set the fastest time.

"I was delighted with that," he said. "We even managed to take five seconds out of Francois Delecour in a Peugeot 306 Maxi, which showed the potential of the Mokka GSE."

With Schulz no longer eligible for junior championship points, Lloyd's podium finish proved especially valuable in the title race. He now sits just three points behind championship leader Dufour with four rounds remaining.

"It was a very challenging rally," said Lloyd. "I'm pleased to score strong points but disappointed not to be fighting for the win. It wasn't to be this weekend, but we're still in a good position in the championship and there's definitely room for improvement from my side."

The competition resumes in Germany on August 14-15 with the ADAC Saarland-Pfalz Rallye, where Lloyd and Williams will look to continue their title challenge.