Hot and sunny is probably the last way you’d expect to describe the weather in Wales but the weekend of Nicky Grist Stages was a scorcher. With the event being part of both the BRC and BTRDA calendar the competitor list was packed with over 200 cars hitting the gravel.
Our day started bright and early with a Greggs coffee on the way to get lost thanks to Google Maps not enjoying the What3Words coordinates. We arrived at SS3 with barely ten minutes to get up the fire road and find a location before the first car came through, the heat was already over 20 degrees at not much beyond 9am.
After treading carefully and beating a path through the undergrowth we found an epic spot to capture the action, shooting through a hedge capturing the roost of gravel on a fast right hander. First through was the fastest drivers, an array of Rally 2 cars with a smattering of Evos and Escorts.
After the first 70 or so cars had been through we dashed across the stage and pushed further up through the forest to find a new spot. We settled where the cars came round a fast left with a view across the valley behind them, the stage then dropped down into a loose right hander. It was the ideal spot to capture the TenSix coming through before we headed back for service.
We got back to the service park in Builth Wells just in time to see Charlie and Ashley arrive back in the TenSix. Before the car had even been shut off the jack was under, it was being sent into the air and on sill stands. The service crew swarmed over the car checking, changing and cleaning everything.
The single service of the day was a full 50 minutes which gave Charlie, Ashley and the team time to chill, have some craic and cool off with some ice-creams before heading out for the second loop of stages.
The trek out to the final stage of the day included a long drive on the fire roads and a hike through the woods to get a birds eye view of a 90 right into a hairpin left. The wind had settled meaning the dust hung in the air between cars making visibility a challenge for drivers and spectators.
Stood up above the cars and being behind them as they came through made this a challenging sport to get photos but seeing the rooster tails as they sped away was epic.
There were some stand out cars at the Nicky Grist stages. First up was the Lancia Delta Integrale Evo1 in the Martini Livery of @DeltonRallying, it was epic to see this nostalgic icon launching rocks getting dirty once again. Similarly getting to see a 131 Abarth out was a pleasant surprise, especially seeing it on gravel unafraid of gravel rash and damage. Purely for how much fun we thought they were having, the MX5 that came through the final stage sliding round like they were in Formula D was a true highlight.
As always, an enormous thank you and congratulations to Charlie and team for an epic weekend.
Images and words by Mitcham Media
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