13/07/2026
🏁 Nicky Grist Stages Rally Report 🏁
Round 4 of the BTRDA Rally Championship meant one thing… a 395-mile road trip to Builth Wells, Wales.
Dad and Paul headed south with the rally car early Friday while I… well… turned up to work. Not a bad arrive-and-drive package if you ask me! 😂
By the time I arrived, they had spent the day preparing the car in a roasting 34°C. A well earned beer was in hand!
Saturday morning arrived, the new boots were fitted, and we couldn’t wait to tackle some of the best stages on the calendar. 🤞🏻
Stage 1 couldn’t have gone much better. Straight into the groove, taking the class win and setting the 35th fastest overall stage time. A brilliant start and confidence was high.
Then, because rallying likes to keep you humble… Stage 2 happened. 💣
The power steering decided it had seen enough and promptly retired. Suddenly, every corner became an arm workout, and my wee arms were questioning every life choice I’d ever made! 💪😂
Despite wrestling the car through the forests, the rally wasn’t finished throwing challenges at us!
A couple of stages were cancelled following incidents elsewhere, and with temperatures still sitting well into the 30s, it became a proper test of both man and machine.
Back into service after Stage 4, Dylan and his boys worked flat out trying to get us back to full health.
Unfortunately, with time against us and no way of getting replacement hoses made, we had no option but to head back out… for another four stages of power-steering-free torture. 🫣
That said… what stages! Absolutely epic roads and a real privilege to drive.
It wasn’t quite the result we’d travelled all that way for, we feel we’re just handing the points to our competitors at present, but bringing the car home 3rd in class and 48th overall after everything that was thrown at us it’s hard to complain! 🙏🏻
The car loaded in one piece, all that remained was the small matter of another 395 miles home… 🥲
Huge thank you to Paul for his guidance and laughs along the way and especially dad as this one was a hard one for the old yin being on his own this weekend…. 👏👏
The niggles continued as the trailer brakes had other ideas, and just to finish the weekend off nicely, the van window decided it no longer fancied going back up! Dad definitely earned a medal for that drive home. 😅
A massive thank you to the organisers, marshals, rescue and recovery crews, volunteers, and everyone involved in putting on another fantastic Nicky Grist Stages.
Wales gave us a brilliant welcome, and we’ll definitely be back. 🏴 🏴
A little break now which will allow us to get the car back to full health and we might even throw a little testing in to keep us on point!! 🤞🏻🤞🏻
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