Duns driver Garry ​Pearson on course for second place in British Rally Championship

Four podiums in his last four rallies see the 32-year-old sitting in the runner-up spot in the championship standings, with the seventh and final round of the competition offering double points.

Ahead of this weekend’s Llandudno-based event, Pearson is on 81 points, 49 shy of France’s Adrien Fourmaux, already confirmed as British champion, but 27 clear of third-placed Welsh driver James Williams.

With Fourmaux, 28, competing in the World Rally Championship’s Central European Rally in Germany, Austria and the Czech Republic rather than Wales this weekend, opportunity knocks for Pearson to claim his first-ever British win but he’s planning to play it safe to make sure he picks up the points he needs for second place overall rather than going for glory and risking slipping down the standings.

"What we need to concentrate on this weekend is making sure we secure second place in the championship,” he said.

“The whole team have put a whole lot of work into this season and we’re on the cusp of an amazing championship result.

“I’d love to cap off the year with a win but we can’t lose sight of the bigger picture. That’s not to say I’ll be driving around like a snail, but I’m not going to risk it all for a win as the championship is more important.”

Pearson will be accompanied in his Melvyn Evans Motorsport Volkswagen Polo GTI R5 by Hannah Davison, of Newstead, near Melrose, as regular co-driver Dan Barritt is unavailable.

Looking ahead to the weekend, he added: “They’re really enjoyable stages, typical of what we used to get in British rallies.

“Looking at the DVD, the stages are very technical, so it’s not going to be an easy rally.

“The weather could be challenging, but it’s certainly a rally that I enjoy.

“I’ve got good memories of Wales, having won the Welsh championship back in 2021, and the Cambrian is always a well-supported rally so it will be fun to put on a show for the spectators.

“I’m looking forward to having Hannah back in the car as well. She does a lot of work with me behind the scenes and she’s a very valued member of the team, so it’s great to have her back in the car.

“Unfortunately, Dan can’t be there this weekend but he’s also helped me in the lead-up to the event, so I’m feeling prepared and ready to end the season on a high.”