The Motorsport UK British Rally Championship makes its first foray onto gravel this season as the Nicky Grist Stages offers up a scintillating mix of world-class forest tests for the series contenders.

The mid Wales gravel stages are steeped in history, with iconic battles of the World Rally Championship elite played out on its daunting and unforgiving forest and moorland tracks over the decades.

And now, eight stages and 44 miles of action will be on offer to the BRC contenders in a compact but action-packed day of rallying on Saturday, from the Builth Wells town centre base.

A sensational 160-car entry will line up to do battle, including progressive Junior and Academy drivers, each aiming to take the spoils on the first surface change of the seven-round season.

Two back-to-back asphalt events kicked off the 2022 campaign with Essex hosting the opener at the Corbeau Seats Rally Tendring & Clacton which was won by Machynlleth’s Osian Pryce and Noel O’ Sullivan in their Michelin-shod Volkswagen Polo GTi.

Round two saw the return of a four-time British champion to the top step of the podium as Irishman Keith Cronin won the Beatson’s Building Supplies Jim Clark Rally in May in a Pirelli-backed Polo GTi

Pryce took a podium last season at the Grist and returns in the Melvyn Evans Motorsport run Polo for another shot at glory.

A zero score at round two puts him on the back foot but with renewed fire in his belly and excellent experience over the stages, watch out for an on-form Welshman on home soil.

Pryce also makes his 100th rally start, running 100 on the doors to mark the occasion.

Garry Pearson and Llanfyllin co-driver Dale Furniss will be firing their Hankook-shod Fiesta Rally2 down the mid Wales Forest stages for the first time as will Builth Wells star Jason Pritchard and co-driver Phil Clarke in their Volkswagen Polo GTi.

A new name on the Junior BRC entry list is perhaps one of the most famous names in the sport, McRae.

Max, co-driven by Macartan Kierans will make his championship debut in Wales and is the nephew of the legendary Colin McRae and son of 1995 champion Alister.

He will drive a Fiesta Rally4 on his first gravel event in the UK, making the trip from his home in Australia, as he seeks to live up to the famous name.