Jason became the first person in the British Isles to win a tarmac rally outright with the latest shape Subaru Impreza when the Builth Wells resident powered his Production Class version to victory on last weekends Apex Motor Parts Welsh Marches Mini Epynt Stage!

Jason, joined by Carmarthen resident Dai Roberts for the event, was only contesting the rally to gain more seat time in the North Road Garage, FCS Lasermail and Total Impreza Magazine backed car and yet won nine of the ten special stages. It was not plain sailing though as the young pairing received a 30 second penalty for hitting a chicane. This meant that the young talent had to fight back over the final four stages to eventually clinch his first ever tarmac win by a mere six seconds!

“Wow, I can’t believe that I have won a rally over Epynt! I’ve been coming here for years and have watched my Dad win on a number of occasions and so to top the sheets myself is very special! My uncle won this very event twenty years ago so it is a result I’m very proud of! I’m annoyed that we had the penalty for hitting the chicane as our incar camera shows that we made every effort possible to slow down but we pushed hard in the afternoon and still managed to take the win! I have to say a big thanks to Dai for calling the notes as he did a top job!”

This result means that Jason, who only made the step up to four wheel drive this season, has now won rallies on both gravel and tarmac in the Subaru Impreza N2010! Jason, a double British R2 Rally Champion, currently lies third overall in the Dulux Trades MSA British Rally Championship as the championship heads to the Isle of Man for round four in early July.

A short highlights video is available on our videos page.

Jason drove a virtually faultless and trouble free Jim Clark International Rally to place his North Road Garage, FCS Laser Mail and Total Impreza Magazine supported Subaru Impreza N16 fifth overall on his first ever tarmac British Championship event in a four wheel drive!

Jason and co-driver Robbie Durant headed to Kelso third in the overall standings following a pair of fine results on gravel but were both acutely aware that the high speed roads around the Scottish Borders held a unique challenge. Changeable weather conditions made the going tricky but Pritchard adapted well, running well inside the top ten all event long and set a number of top three overall times along the way!

Apart from a tricky tyre choice on Saturday afternoon when it began to drizzle gently before the final loop of stages, the only dramas that Jason had was with the many chicanes along the route. Unaccustomed to the size of the Impreza after three years of rallying the little Citroen C2 Max Jason was, on occasion, having to do three point turns to get through the narrow openings, but this is, after all, part of the learning curve!

“This was a really good rally for us. I honestly did not know what to expect as I have virtually no tarmac experience in a four wheel drive and so to set the times that I did I’m very happy! There is a lot more to come, and I know I can fine tune my notes. We played around with the settings and I’ve just learnt so much this weekend!”

This result helps Jason hold onto his podium position in the 2010 Dulux Trade MSA British Rally Champion, a mere one point behind Jim Clark Rally winner Gwyndaf Evans! He will now begin preparing for the fourth round, the daunting International Rally Isle of Man which takes place in early July by tackling the Welsh Marches Mini Epynt Stages.

Builth Wells based Jason Pritchard enjoyed a successful tarmac debut in his FCS Laser Mail, North Road Garage and Total Impreza Magazine supported Subaru Impreza N16 when the 21 year old finished the recent RDP Welsh Rally eighth overall and first in Group N!

Jason and co-driver Robbie Durant were contesting the rally, run over the daunting Epynt military ranges, to gain experience of their new four wheel drive stead and whilst he was adamant that he was driving cautiously and focusing on seat time, a string of top ten stage times give an indication of the potential once this young talent gets to grips with his machine! In fact over the last loop of stages the young driver was beaten only by drivers of world rally cars!

The day had begun with the longest test of the rally and whilst Jason was caught and passed by a quicker car he was still second fastest in Group N, despite a very cautious start. As his confidence grew so Jason began experimenting with different suspension setups and was extremely pleased with how the changes affected the car, especially over the infamous Epynt jumps. By the end of the 13 stage event Jason and Robbie had completed 85 trouble free stage miles and also recorded the best finish for a new shape Impreza over Epynt!

“This car is amazing, truly smiles per miles! I have never been so fast over Epynt and felt so comfortable before! There is loads more to come from both the car and myself as today we were operating in “safe” mode just to gain seat time and so to finish so high up inside the top ten is brilliant! “

This rewarding tarmac test comes on the back of a very successful fortnight. After taking his first outright four wheel drive victory on the Red Kite Stages Pritchard then performed admirably on last weekends Pirelli International Rally, with his result elevating him up to third overall in the Dulux Trade MSA British Rally Championship standings! The young guns head north to Scotland for the Jim Clark International Rally next.

A short highlights video is available on our videos page.

Builth Wells rally driver Jason Pritchard survived punctures, severe dust and the infamous Kielder Forest to finish last weekends Pirelli International Rally sixth overall and in doing so moves up to third overall in the 2010 Dulux Trade MSA British Rally Championship!

21 year old Jason, who recently won the Red Kite Stages, endured a frustrating Friday night on the Carlisle based Pirelli Rally when hanging dust made visibility difficult, picking up a puncture in the first stage and then overshot a junction in the dust on the third test and ending the opening leg down in 14th position overall.

A big push on Saturday, as Jason gained more experience with the North Road Garage, FCS Laser Mail and Total Impreza backed Subaru Impreza N16 saw Jason and co-driver Robbie Durant set top ten times all day, culminating with a stunning second fastest overall stage time on the final 12 mile stage of Bewshaugh which resulted in the pair returning to Carlisle in sixth overall!

“Friday night was very frustrating, as the hanging dust really knocked my confidence. I’m still getting to grips with the Subaru and am noticing that we are arriving at corners so much faster than I’m used to! There is plenty more to come from me and I just need more seat time.”

The Dulux Trade MSA British Rally Championship now moves onto tarmac for the Jim Clark International Rally, which takes place in Kelso over the weekend of 28-29 May. As Jason has no four wheel drive tarmac experience he intends to compete on the forthcoming Welsh Rally which takes place over the Epynt military ranges on Sunday 2nd May.

Welsh rallying talent Jason Pritchard scored his second ever rally victory when the 21 year old powered his Subaru Impreza Group N rally car to a slim six second win over more powerful World Rally Cars on the weekend’s Red Kite Stages. The rally is typically held in mid January but after the region was hit by heavy snowfalls, the event was postponed. As the third round of the Welsh Rally Championships the rally had attracted a strong list of entries.

Jason and co-driver Robbie Durant were using the Llandovery based event as a test session ahead of the second round of the 2010 Dulux Trades MSA British Rally Championship and with their FCS Laser Mail, North Road Garage and Total Impreza Magazine supported Subaru N16 running faultlessly, the pair won half of the stages to take the fantastic victory.

Wow, this is so awesome! This is only my second rally in the car and to win in Wales is very special! Dust was a bit of an issue on some of the stages but Robbie was great and organised us a two minute gap which helped massively. The car was faultless and I enjoyed the whole day!

Jason and Robbie now head to the infamous Kielder Forest complex near Carlisle for the Pirelli International Rally. The rally begins with a couple of night time stages on Friday 23 April before a full day of rallying on Saturday.

Builth Wells resident Jason Pritchard will debut his brand new Prodrive built Subaru Impreza N16 on the opening round of the 2010 Dulux Trade MSA British Rally Championship, the forthcoming Bulldog International Rally of North Wales.

21 year old Pritchard, a double British R2 Rally Champion, has made the move from two wheel drive to four wheel drive as he looks to take the next step in his already impressive rallying career. And with the latest evolution of the successful Subaru Impreza at his disposal, as well as a guaranteed two year program the young driver has a bright future in the sport.

Pritchard and Durant spent a day at the Sweet Lamb Rally Complex testing the new car. Under the guidance of Geoff Jones, Pritchard was able to learn all about the four wheel drive machine and tried different settings on the suspension and engine to ensure that he was comfortable with the Impreza ahead of his debut.

The new car is brilliant, so much fun to drive and so much faster than the Citroen I’m used to. I will have to adapt the way I write my notes and there is still a lot to learn with the new car. Our target on the Bulldog is just to finish as we won’t learn anything in a ditch! I have to say an enormous thanks to all of those who have supported me, especially my family and sponsors. 2010 marks the beginning of a new era and I fully intend to do give it 110%!

Jason will be joined by the highly experienced Bicester based Robbie Durant. 28 year old Durant co-drove Jason to his first ever outright rally win on the Tempest two wheel drive rally last November. The pair will be supported in 2010 by North Road Garage, FCS Laser mail and Total Impreza Magazine.

The Bulldog International Rally of North Wales is the opening round of the 2010 Dulux Trade MSA British Rally Championship. Based in Welshpool this prestigious event sees competitors tackle eight special stages through the famous Mid Wales forests on Saturday 27 March 2010.

21 year old Jason Pritchard has announced that he intends to contest the full 2010 Dulux Trade MSA British Rally Championship and selected other events in a Prodrive built Subaru Impreza N2010.

Pritchard, who is based in Builth Wells, recently tested the latest specification Subaru Impreza, which for 2010 will run with a larger restrictor, and intends to use one of the Prodrive built machines in Britain’s premier rally championship. The double British R2 Rally Champion has also confirmed a marketing partnership with esteemed publication Total Impreza who join current supporters FCS Laser Mail, Competition Car Insurance and North Road Garage in supporting the 2010 campaign.

There are exciting times ahead and I am really looking forward to the new season. The Impreza N2010 is an amazing car and I cannot wait for the opening rally now. We have no expectations for 2010 and will just treat the year ahead as a learning year.

I am also pleased to be associated with Total Impreza Magazine. I have been an avid reader for a while now and it will be a great honour to be featured in the magazine throughout the forthcoming season.

Jason will be co-driven by the experienced Robbie Durant for the full 2010 campaign which begins with the Bulldog Rally of North Wales on 27 March.

21 year old Jason Pritchard enjoyed a promising start to his new season when the Builth Wells resident powered his brand new Subaru Impreza N16 to seventh overall on the recent Bulldog International Rally of North Wales, rapidly improving on his stage times all day long.

Pritchard, co-driven by Bicester based Robbie Durant in the North Road Garage, FCS Laser Mail and Total Impreza backed Subaru, had only completed one short test prior to the rally, the opening round of the 2010 Dulux Trade MSA British Rally Championship, and as the day progressed so his confidence grew, ending with a string of top six stage times and beating competitors with far more experience of all wheel drive power!

With greasy conditions and the odd patch of low lying fog, the opening test was a true baptism of fire but once Jason had settled into a rhythm there was no stopping him and on the re-run of the opening loop of stages the young technician improved his times by almost a minute a stage! From lying 12th overall at first service Pritchard and Durant climbed the leaderboard all day long and returned to Welshpool a mere 30 seconds off of a top six result!

Today was just awesome! The car is incredible and everything happens so much quicker. On that last stage our top speed was 135 miles an hour! Robbie and I really worked well together and even managed to change a puncture prior to the start of the last stage in 90 seconds!

Pritchard, who is the reigning two wheel drive champion, will contest the full 2010 Dulux Trade MSA British Rally Championship in the new Prodrive built Subaru Impreza and now turns his focus to preparing for the Pirelli International Rally. This event takes place on 24 April and is based in Carlisle.

Builth Wells based MSA British Rally Elite member Jason Pritchard took a stunning victory on last weekends South of England Tempest Two wheel drive Rally, the first outright win of his young but impressive career.

With Robbie Durrant calling the notes for the first time and with the pair having to adapt to using organisers notes again they adopted a cautious start. At first service Pritchard adjusted the suspension settings on his Competition Car Insurance, FCS Laser Mail and North Road Garage supported Citroen C2R2 Max. The changes to the handling of the little car worked wonders and the double British Rally R2 Champion promptly won the next test!

With the pairing consistently at the head of the pack they returned to Aldershot with a comfortable winning margin of 21 seconds. The stages were real tricky in the morning. Although it was dry there was standing water on some corners just waiting to catch the unwary out. The car was perfect once we’d made the changes and those times were a bit of a surprise as we were just out for a bit of fun and didn’t even put any new tyres on the car all day!

Jason is currently evaluating his options for 2010 and an announcement is expected to be made before the end of the year.

British Rally Elite member Jason Pritchard was pleased to finish the recent Rallye Antibes in France, overcoming new roads, snow and ice and some of the fastest drivers in Europe to end the three day event inside the top ten in class.

Three stages on Friday night gave the crews a taste of things to come and the FCS Laser Mail, Competition Car Insurance and North Road Garage backed pair excelled in the dark conditions, returning to Le Touquet in 17th position overall and leading the R2 class by almost 10 seconds!

After the extensive pre event recce Jason and stand in co-driver Darren Garrod realised that the diff ratios on their Competition Car Insurance, North Road Garage and FCS Laser Mail backed Citroen C2R2 Max were not suited to the tight and twisty roads around Nice and the pair opted to target a finish rather than try any heroics.

This mature approach was the correct choice as the rally was one of attrition with drivers being caught out by the changeable conditions. The final day saw a true sting in the tail, with crews tackling the world famous Col Du Turini which featured snow and ice for the first four kilometres. With the Citroen pilots all on hard compound slick tyres every drivers skill would be tested to the utmost but once again Pritchard excelled and returned to Nice in eighteenth position overall.

“This is by far and away the toughest rally I have ever done! The rally had a lot of really short straights and lots of tight corners and with the wrong ratios in the car we were on a back foot from the very start. But the experience has made the trip worth while and I can now say I have survived the Col du Turini!”

With no more events planned in 2009 Jason and the team will take stock of the season just finished and discuss their plans for 2010. The team are also willing to discuss marketing opportunities with any potential investors and sponsors.