Ingram draws first blood at brutal Probite BRC opener

Chris Ingram and Alex Kihurani claimed the first victory of the Probite Motorsport UK British Rally Championship at the demanding Legend Fires North West Stages. Ingram drove his Volkswagen Polo GTi to a commanding win, with William Creighton and Meirion Evans securing second and third spots respectively.

The event attracted top-tier competitors, facing challenging roads and unpredictable weather. Ingram led from the start, maintaining a significant lead despite tough conditions.

Sadly with several incidents blighting the opening loop of stages, organisers were forced to cut the morning short, cancelling the fourth and fifth stages for all and leaving many without any stages completed over the first run.

With all cars re-routed back to service, the afternoon leg would go ahead as planned and the battle resumed, albeit in much wetter conditions than the morning pass. Osian Pryce showed plenty of speed going an impressive 8 seconds faster than anyone else but had to retire due to mechanical issues, leaving Creighton and co driver Liam Regan to secure second place.

Evans along with co driver Jonathan Jackson completed the podium, showcasing impressive performance in the debut of the Toyota Yaris Rally2. Other contenders faced challenges, with James Williams salvaging fourth place, Neil Roskell securing fifth despite encountering obstacles and rounding out the top six would be Keith Cronin and Mikie Galvin in their Fiesta Rally2.

Several teams suffered setbacks, including Kyle White and Sean Topping exiting on the opening stage after a heavy impact, Alan Carmichael and Claire Williams were forced out after suffering power issues while Max McRae and Cameron Fair slid off the road on the ninth test.

In the BRC3 category, William Hill emerged victorious alongside Peredur Davies, while Kalum Graffin claimed the Junior BRC win with co driver Richard Crozier in a closely contested battle.

Hugh Brunton and Drew Sturrock took the Open Rally Title in their Skoda Fabia, with Darren Atkinson and Simon Walling winning the National Rally Title in a Ford Escort MKII.

TV coverage of the event is now available on demand on ITV X and you can check out some of the fantastic highlights below: