By Paul Evans

Dylan Davies, the newly crowned Pirelli MSA Welsh Forest Rally Champion, is considering stepping up to an R5 car for 2019 – which will also enable him to contest the full four-day Wales Rally GB international for the very first time.

The 29-year old Llanon driver won the Welsh series in an Impreza B13 this year, but the Subaru is now up for sale.

Co-driven by Caernarfon’s Llion Williams, Davies is still contemplating what championship he might contest next year; it could be a defence of his Welsh title, or possibly the BTRDA Gold Star Series. But whatever he does, Britain’s round of the FIA World Rally Championship is very much on his wish list.

An R5 car would be a nice addition to his Dylan Davies Rally team fleet, which is already up to seven cars – including four Subarus, a Fiesta R2, an Escort and a Proton. Customers come from all over the world to hire a rally car from Davies, including a regular customer who flies in from Australia to compete on British events. The team has contested 60 events already this year.

“I’ve never driven an R5 rally car, but I have sat in one with Elfyn Evans and Tomas Davies and it’s what I’d like to be competing in next year,” said Davies. “I’ve contested the Wales Rally GB National in the past, and ran customer cars on the international event, so I’d very much like to do the full four day international event myself next year. But that’s not until October, so we might do the Welsh Championship again, or the BTRDA, or just pick and choose some events, depending on the rally calendars and my free time, as running cars for customers comes first. I’d like to sell the Subaru before Christmas, and then we can properly start to plan the 2019 season.”