Continuing on from our gallery of images from the 2016 MSA British Rally Championship season opener in Powys, Wales, our GT photographer Nick Smith has prepared a gallery of photos from the B2 and other classes of the Mid Wales Stages.
Class B2 is the home of what many people will call ‘proper’ rally cars, the Mitsubishi Evos and Subaru Imprezas, while class BD houses the new R2 class of rally car. B3 had only one entry, the rear wheel drive Toyota GT-86 CS-R3 which made its debut on the rally at the hands of newly minted Top Gear presenter Chris Harris. B4 held older R2 cars.
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- The Mitsubishi Evo X was the last of the great Mitsubishi rally cars.
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- Top Gear’s Chris Harris took to the stages in this Toyota GT-86, one of the first rear drive rally cars in years.
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- Dmack are sole tyre suppliers and title sponsors of the MSA Junior BRC.
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- The first round of the BRC also marked the debut of the Vauxhall Adam R2.
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- Surprisingly the only Renault on the rally, Sindre Furuseth drove this Twingo R2 to second in class.
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- Not a competitor but this stunning Ford Escort Mk.2 was the 0 car for the event.
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- The Melvyn Evans Motorsport team fielded a pair of Fiesta R2s in the competition.
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- Spencer Wilkinson claimed third in B2 with this Impreza.
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- The Pikes Peak stage winds its way across the top of the Welsh mountains.
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- Entered in N1 but wearing BRC colours, this Vauxhall Corsa made a surprisingly fast weapon on the stages.
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- Roland Llewellin took second in B2 with the Hyundai Power Equipment backed Evo X.
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- Robert Duggan launches his Adam R2 at Sweet Lamb on the way to fifth in class.
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- A familiar sight on rallies since the 90s, the Impreza was well represented in Wales too.
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- The Peugeot 206, formerly one of the most populous rally cars, was restricted to a single example in Wales.
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- The rear wheel drive Toyota coupe and AWD Mitsubishi super-saloon are examples of the diversity in rally cars.
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- And Nick thought his Adam was dirty, an example of just how muddy rally cars can get.
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- A practial family car turned into a super-saloon then turned into a sorted rally car.
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- The #32 Adam R2 of Robert Duggan was one of three Vauxhall Motorsport Rally Team entries.
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- Before heading back to the service park cars are given a quick wash off so as not to dirty the public roads.
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- All the body panels on the Adam R2 are road spec, with just a few safety adjustments.
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- The Fiesta R2 uses the standard ST bodykit from the road car, plus light pods.
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- Aussie racer Arron Windus was the slowest of the three Adams, placing seventh in the Junior BRC.
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- Mechanical failure on SS5 stopped Nick Carr’s challenge in its tracks.
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- Mattias Adielsson nearly rolled his Adam on the way to a podium finish.
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- The Twingo powers its way out of a hairpin bend.
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- Already effective headlights are supplimented by a lamp pod on the bonnet and aftermarket fog lamps. The Adam is the only car on the rally not to offer fog lights on its road going equivalent.
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- The watersplash just before the jump and this hairpin caused the brakes to steam. Not a problem for Gus Greensmith who won the JBRC outright.
A final gallery of Mid Wales Stages images will be available soon, covering the national event and the Bowler Motorsport Defender Challenge. In the mean time you can see the top class of the BRC in our first gallery, or enjoy the photos from the Riponian Stages Rally and MGJ Engineering Brands Hatch Stages Rally.
All images in this gallery are credit Nick Smith/TheImageTeam.com. The full 748 images from the event will be available to view shortly on his website.
