Rallying is developing a habit of delivering final-stage title deciders.
First there was the World Rally Championship, then the American Rally Association, and now the British Rally Championship.
Three drivers were in contention at the season-concluding Cambrian Rally on Saturday, where winner would take all.
One past champion, two title hopefuls but all round winners throughout the 2026 season – would it be McRae, Pryce or Evans?
DirtFish-backed Max McRae seized the early advantage by moving into an early 1.8s advantage over Pryce, only to lose time with a spin and an incorrect tire choice as the morning progressed and the weather worsened.
Leaving service with 14.9s to find and just four stages to do it, McRae was a man on a mission as his Škoda began to carve time out of Pryce’s Toyota.
McRae took the early lead, but would end up on a fightback drive
The young Scot delivered a hammer blow on the penultimate stage, beating the leader by 5.7s over the 6.8 miles to raise the stakes ahead of the final test.
McRae trailed by 5.9s, and clearly was in the ascendancy. Could he do it, or would he run out of miles?
McRae and co-driver Cameron Fair were first to finish as first car on the road, and then began the wait.
Soon enough Pryce arrived to the stop control. McRae was quicker – but not by enough.
He missed out on becoming the fourth generation of the famous family to win the British title by just 1.2s.
He hung his head and fought back the tears, knowing how close he’d come.
Pryce (left) added his name to the trophy for a second time, whie Morgan (right) was a first-time champion
For Pryce, this was a second British crown following success in 2022 – but a first for co-driver James Morgan who joined him for the season.
It was also the third year in succession a Melvyn Evans Motorsport-prepared GR Yaris Rally2 clinched the title, after Chris Ingram (2024) and William Creighton (2025).
Meirion Evans’ bid to become the second Toyota-driving Welshman named Evans to win a championship in 2026 ended when he slid off the road and out of second place on SS5.
Luke Constantine meanwhile became the new Junior British Rally champion alongside co-driver Ifan Devine, overturning a 14.7s deficit to rival Ben McFall (who battled a misted windshield) to an 8.8s victory on the final stage.
