David Spear Commercial Vehicles will be the official car supplier to the 2025 Nicky Grist Stages (Saturday 12 July) in a deal, like all good deals, that was forged on the golf course!
Nicky Grist and David Spear are both members of the Rolls of Monmouth Golf Club, and it was on a stroll down a fairway that the idea was hatched.
David Spear Commercial Vehicles will supply the Quinton Motor Club event with two four-wheel drive Ford Rangers, complete with David Spear Black Edition Kits featuring wider arches and off-road tyres, to be used as the official Motorsport UK Safety Delegate and Double Zero vehicles.
One of the stages will be named the David Spear Commercial Vehicles Halfway stage.
David Spear Commercial Vehicles was established in 1987 and the family-run business has grown into an award-winning commercial vehicle supplier specialising in new and used light commercial vehicles, 4x4s and top of the range vehicles like the three-litre V6-engined MS-RT Ranger.
Having started life operating from a small yard, it now has big premises offering a huge range of vehicles from its site in the Crown Business Park in Dukestown, near Tredegar.
“We are over the moon to be on board as the official car supplier to the Nicky Grist Stages,” says Elliott Spear, Head of Purchasing at David Spear Commercial Vehicles.
“We have traditionally been involved with rugby and football teams and rallying is a completely different area for us to be involved in and we’re very excited about it.
“It is an honour to be involved in such an exciting event, and we look forward to showcasing some extra special vehicles on the rally stages.”
“As well as being my Vice-Captain at the Rolls of Monmouth Golf Club, David runs a very successful commercial vehicle operation and the company is very proactive in doing events and sports sponsorship,” says Nicky Grist.
“I’m delighted to have them on board as the official vehicle supplier to the Nicky Grist Stages as it will be a great partnership.”
Based in Builth Wells – with the start ceremony on Strand Street, the service area on the Builth Wells RFC pitch and the champagne finish on the banks of the River Wye – this year’s Nicky Grist Stages will feature a compact route with minimal road mileage and 45 stage miles in Halfway, 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), Monument and Route 60.
This will be the 16th consecutive year of title sponsorship from Nicky Grist Motorsport and the event will be a host round of five major championships – the Protyre Autocare BTRDA Rally Series, Pirelli Welsh Rally Championship, HRCR Rally Master Challenge, TCS Plant Rally Challenge and ANWCC Rally Championship.
The event will also continue its collaboration with Carbon Positive Motorsport, which last year supported the planting of over 1,500 sequioa and 6,000 native broadleaf trees in Abergavenny, as well as GoSafe, the Wales Road Casualty Reduction Partnership, and be a key part of Motorsport UK’s National Motorsport Week.
Regulations for the event can be found on nickygriststages.co.uk and competitors can enter the event at rallies.info.
