REPORT / SHOWGROUND STAGES 2026
31/01/2026WORDS BY DAN MORRIS | PHOTOGRAPY ANDREW SCOTT, DAN MORRIS & NIGEL PRATT
As another year gets underway, the traditional start to the UK’s busy rally season returned to the Royal Welsh Showground at Builth Wells, with the Newtown & District organised Showground Stages. Set within the 150 acre venue, the event makes the most of the space available, mixing gravel and tarmac sections, creating a challenging layout that often sees plenty of casualties before the finish.
Sponsored by three-time British Rally Champion Matt Edwards (who also took on 0-car duties), the event once again remained two-wheel drive only. The organising team introduced a number of changes for this year, the biggest being the reversal of the start and finish from last year. Crews faced ten stages totalling 26.8 miles, while the controversial Cross Cars were also part of the entry, running on five of the stages and completing each once.
“There are several new additions to the layout this year to refresh the challenge this venue offers to all our crews, and we are very much looking forward to welcoming all.”
Matt Edwards
PHOTO: MATT EDWARDS – EVENT SPONSOR AND 0 CAR – BY DAN MORRIS
Entry-wise, last year’s front-running crews were absent, with just one former winner in the field. 2015 Victor Dan Evans was back in his rapid Nova after trying a C2 R2 last year and finishing fourth. He is comfortably one of the most experienced drivers at the event, and the number 1 seed had Karolina Griffiths in the silly seat this year. Other potential threats for victory include Sean Jones in his V8 Vauxhall Viva, along with former Welsh Forest champion Dylan Davies, in the top-seeded Mk2 Escort.
PHOTOS BY ANDREW SCOTT & DAN MORRIS
STAGES 1-5
With an 8:30am start, crews headed into the opening stage in near total darkness, the cattle sheds used for service echoing into life as rally cars were fired up for the day. In those conditions, knowledge certainly counted, and Dan Evans & Karolina Griffiths set the early pace with a stage one win on the gloomy opener.
PHOTO: DAN EVANS & KAROLINA GRIFFTHS | BY NIGEL PRATT
Evans followed that up with two more fastest times on SS3 & 4, taking a smooth, measured approach and not taking unnecessary risks on this deceptively tough event. He reached the halfway mark with an 11-second lead over the flying Daniel Morris (yes, my namesake), who clawed some time back with a win on SS5, wringing the neck of the 1.4 Puma he shares with Steven Nicks to hold second at the midpoint.
PHOTO: DANIEL MORRIS & STEVEN NICKS | BY ANDREW SCOTT
In third, some 40 seconds back from the leading pair, were professional motocross enduro ace Dan Mundell in his self-proclaimed “ugliest Mk2 Escort on the market”, co-driven by Stephen Spear. The pair were clearly enjoying plenty of sideways after the switch from his front wheel drive 306. Fourth, just 0.8 seconds behind, were Osian Jones and Llyr Davies in their Micra, with Dylan Davies and Llion Williams in Davies’ Mk2, having made a slower start than they would have liked in fifth.
PHOTOS: OSIAN JONES & LLYRE DAVIES – BY ANDREW SCOTT | DYLAN DAVIES & LLION WILLIAMS – BY DAN MORRIS
The rally could have looked very different at the front, as on stage 2, Daniel & Clive Jones set a storming stage time to surge into the lead in their Clio. The charge was short-lived, however, with the F4R in the front giving up a stage later, billowing smoke as the pair pulled off into retirement.
PHOTO: DANIEL JONES & CLIVE JONES – BY ANDREW SCOTT
STAGES 5-10
The second half of the rally delivered pretty much every season in the space of a few hours, with the final two stages run in torrential rain, creating a wonderful orange light as the sun began to set.
Come rain or shine, Dan Evans continued to lead the way, never leaving the top 5 stage times, and winning another two. With Daniel Morris and Steven Hicks retiring the Puma on SS8, Evans could afford to relax (as much as you can on these short stages that had really rutted up!) to take the overall win by over 50 seconds.
PHOTO: DAN EVANS & KAROLINA GRIFFITHS – BY ANDREW SCOTT
Dylan Davies and Llion Williams kept plugging away in their Mk2, starting and ending the loop with stage wins and, despite a couple of spins, bringing the car home second overall.
PHOTO: DYLAN DAVIES & LLION WILLIAMS – BY NIGEL PRATT
Third and fourth were both claimed by hard charging Micras, with Osian Jones and Llyr Davies losing out on a podium finish on the final stage to late entries Joseph Palmer and Steve McPhee in their K11, following a run of podium-placing stage times across the last three tests. David Jones and Nigel Roberts rounded out the top five in their Mk2 Escort, finishing 20 seconds behind the Nissan pair ahead.
PHOTOS: JOSEPH PALMER & STEVE MCPHEE – BY ANDREW SCOTT | OSIAN JONES & LLYR DAVIES – BY NIGEL PRATT
It would be a disappointing event for the second seed in the (in my opinion) standout car of the event, as the V8 Viva of Sean Jones suffered an engine issue after a disappointing day on the stages, including a big spin right in front of us!
PHOTO: SEAN JONES & OWAIN PRICE – BY ANDREW SCOTT
As usual, the season’s curtain raiser didn’t disappoint, with tough stages providing plenty of entertainment and just enough changes to keep things interesting. We look forward to returning next year to see if Dan Evans can defend his second-ever victory.
“Changes to the stages this year were really good, gave everybody a new challenge, especially with how slippery it was all day. I have run the stages that way before, but that was a long time ago, a quote for the day that’s a difficult one, I would say my goal was to win, and that’s what we did.”
Dan Evans
RESULTS
GALLERY
