Meirion Evans will lead the star-studded 140-car field away at the start of the Nicky Grist Stages (Saturday 11 July) after being seeded at number one in his Castrol MEM Rally Team Toyota GR Yaris Rally2.
Co-driven by Dale Furniss, Meirion finished third in 2024 and runner-up (by just 2.6 seconds after losing 12 seconds with a spin) last year and will be favourite to claim his maiden major gravel rally victory on home soil.
He will face fierce competition from a high-quality entry, which includes the defending Protyre Autocare BTRDA Rally Series and Pirelli Welsh Rally Championship champions Matthew Hirst/Declan Dear.
Having finished on the podium twice in the past three years, they’ll be looking for their first outright Nicky Grist Stages victory in their Pirelli-shod Delta Salvage/Witham Motorsport/Speedline Corse Škoda Fabia R5.
All the leading contenders from the BTRDA Rally Series appear, including the current leaders Elliot Payne/Patrick Walsh in their Alan Causey Autosport-run Ford Fiesta Rally2.
They arrive at the Builth Wells-based event just nine points ahead of Daniel Sigurdarson/Ásta Sigurdardottir (Škoda Fabia Rally2), while third-placed Russ Thompson/Stephen Link (Ford Fiesta Proto) are just three points further behind.
Rian Walker/Paul Gribben (Opel Adam R2), Steve ‘Korky’ Ward/John Millington (Escort Mk2) and Boyd Kershaw/Keegan Rees (Escort Mk2) resume their close battle for the BTRDA Silver Star trophy, while the top three in the race for the BTRDA Bronze Star title – Luke Watts/Matt Rogers (MG ZR), Dylan Fowler-Bishop/Dan Evans (Nissan Micra) and Geraint Williams/Ifan Rowlands (Vauxhall Nova) – continue their gravel rivalry.
There is an equally close battle raging for the Pirelli Welsh title, with the top crews capable of winning overall as well. All the leading contenders have entered, including series leaders Liam Clark/Michael Gilbey (Ford Fiesta Rally2), second-placed Dan O’Brien/Liam Regan (Ford Fiesta Rally2) and Bob Morgan/Ade Williams (Škoda Fabia R5), who lie third in the standings.
Four more crews seeded inside the top 10 are not registered for either the BTRDA or Pirelli Welsh championships but will nevertheless be among the favourites for outright victory. These are Niall Devine/John McCay (Volkswagen Polo GTI R5), Jordan Hone/Sion Williams (Škoda Fabia Rally2), Joseph Burke (the top seeded Quinton Motor Club driver)/Rhodri Evans (Volkswagen Polo GTI R5) and Vivian Hamill/Paddy Robinson (Škoda Fabia RS Rally2).
As a round of six major rally championships, the Nicky Grist Stages has attracted some of the leading contenders from the HRCR Rally Master Challenge, Kingfisher Insurance Motorsport English Rally Championship, TCS Plant Rally Challenge and ANWCC Rally Championship.
The event has also attracted several other notable entries. Robert Gough will be co-driven by three-time British Rally Champion Matt Edwards in his Escort Mk2, while six-time Protyre Asphalt champion Damian Cole returns in another Escort Mk2, co-driven by Ian Allsop. Former works SEAT UK driver Mike Brown will contest the event with his sister Nikola Brown in a BMW Compact, double BTRDA Gold Star champion Ricky Evans returns in the Peugeot 205 GTI that carried him to successive championship titles in 1994 and 1995, and seven-time American rally champion John Buffum joins the entry list as co-driver to James Blakemore.
“What a great entry for this year’s Nicky Grist Stages,” says Nicky Grist.
“The popularity of our Builth Wells-based event has once again attracted a bumper entry. The route has changed from last year and the roads are in great shape – so all is set for a great event.
“The weather looks set to play its part again, with a good chance of hot, sunny conditions. Please pay attention to your hydration in the week leading up to the rally and make sure you take advantage of the water available at the passage controls after every stage!
“I am delighted to welcome my old friend John Buffum to the event. John is travelling from the USA as a co-driver in car 49 with James Blakemore. John competed year-on-year on the RAC Rally through the early 1980s in an Audi Quattro and it’s wonderful to have him back on our great Welsh stages again.
“I wish all the competitors a fantastic rally and I look forward to seeing you all in Builth Wells.”
“We are delighted at the number and quality of the entry we have received for this year’s event,” adds Neil Cross, Nicky Grist Stages Clerk of the Course.
“We look forward to welcoming everyone to Builth Wells and we hope they enjoy the stages we have planned.”
This year’s Quinton Motor Club-organised event, which celebrates 17 consecutive years of title sponsorship from Nicky Grist Motorsports, will start from outside Strand Hall (Rally HQ) on Strand Street in the centre of Builth Wells, with the first of the 1400cc and Historic class cars leaving at 08:30, followed by the top cars in seeded order – flagged away by the Mayor of Builth Wells, Cllr. Alan Waller.
There will be a loop of four stages in and around the Mynydd Epynt military range in the morning – Monument (named Ian’s Monument in memory of the event’s late Chief Marshal), Crychan (named Bowlsey, in honour of the late Pete Bowles, a long time Quinton MC committee member, previous Nicky Grist Stages event winner and Clerk of the Course), Halfway and Route 60 – before a midday service halt on the Builth Wells RFC pitch, with the first car arriving at 11.30.
All four stages on the Carmarthenshire-Powys border will be repeated in the afternoon, before the finish after all 44 stage miles have been completed on the banks of the River Wye – with Builth Wells’ 18th Century bridge and surrounding rolling hills providing one of the most scenic podium finish backdrops in British rallying – from 15:30 onwards.
The Nicky Grist Stages is a Motorsport UK Sustainability Accreditation approved event, gained in recognition of its efforts to reduce its environmental impact in a structured and credible way.
In partnership with Carbon Positive Motorsport, the Nicky Grist Stages was the first rally in the UK to pioneer a system that enables rally visitors to offset the carbon generated through an online registration process. Through the scheme, the event has contributed to the planting of 1,500 Giant Sequoias and 6,000 native broadleaf trees at the Abergavenny Sequoia Project. All competitors, marshals and spectators this year can mitigate their carbon impact for every litre of fuel they use at https://www.carbonpositivemotorsport.com/purchase-offsets
This year’s event will also continue its collaboration with GoSafe, the Wales Road Casualty Reduction Partnership, and is part of Motorsport UK’s National Motorsport Week, while David Spear Commercial Vehicles is the event’s official vehicle supplier.
Spectator information is now available on the event website nickygriststages.co.uk – and on the Sportity app (password: NGS26SpecInfo).
For those unable to attend the event, Special Stage TV will be streaming live and free from the stages.
Final Entries close on Wednesday 8 July.
2026 Nicky Grist Stages – Top 10 Seeded Entries
1. Meirion Evans/Dale Furniss (Toyota GR Yaris Rally2)
2. Matthew Hirst/Declan Dear (Škoda Fabia R5)
3. Elliot Payne/Patrick Walsh (Ford Fiesta Rally2)
4. Mark Donnelly/Martin Brady (Volkswagen Polo GTI R5)
5. Daniel Sigurdsson/Ásta Sigurdardottir (Škoda Fabia RS Rally2)
6. James Wilson/Paul Mulholland (Škoda Fabia RS Rally2)
7. Niall Devine/John McCay (Volkswagen Polo GTI R5)
8. Jordan Hone/Sion Williams (Škoda Fabia Rally2)
9. Joseph Burke/Rhodri Evans (Volkswagen Polo GTI R5)
10. Vivian Hamill/Paddy Robinson (Škoda Fabia RS Rally2)
The full Seeded Entry List can be found here.