The 2025 Phil Price Memorial Woodpecker Rally delivered another day of high drama in the Mid Wales forests (30 August), as Elliot Payne and Patrick Walsh took overall victory after a late twist in the tale, while Osian Pryce dominated the Historic field with a start-to-finish National category win.
Number two seeds Matthew Hirst and Declan Dear came into the event hungry for Woodpecker success, and they looked set to finally claim it after a blistering start in their Skoda Fabia Rally2. Fastest by a staggering six seconds on the opening Britpart Hafren test, Hirst laid down a marker to the chasing pack.
Hirst’s pace was relentless, adding two further stage wins before service to head into the break with a clear advantage. Elliot Payne, winner of last year’s BTRDA title but still chasing a first Woodpecker victory, could only take one stage off Hirst before the midday halt, that coming on the Tarenig blast where his Fiesta Rally2 looked at its sharpest.
The second loop brought heavy rain and much slipperier conditions, but Hirst continued to push on, winning three of the remaining four stages to underline his dominance on the stopwatch. At the finish in Newtown, the Skoda driver looked to have conquered the rally but a two-minute road penalty dropped him cruelly down to fourth overall.
The penalty elevated Payne and Walsh to the top step of the podium. For Payne, it was a breakthrough moment: after three previous podiums at the Woodpecker, he finally stood as the event winner. It also brought a vital haul of Protyre BTRDA Rally Series points as the championship heads towards its climax.
Tom Williams and Michael Gilbey brought their Skoda Fabia Rally2 home in second. For Williams, making a rare UK appearance after several years competing abroad, it was a strong result and a welcome return to domestic competition.
Third went to Liam Clark and Chris Williams in their Ford Fiesta Rally2. Their consistent pace was rewarded with top points in the Pirelli Welsh Rally Championship. Hirst, despite dropping to fourth, could take consolation from having been the fastest driver on the road across nearly every stage, a clear sign of his growing pace after focusing on his British Rally Championship campaign this season.
The national event was just as dramatic, as the Fuchs Lubricants British Historic Rally Championship crews joined the Woodpecker battle. British Champion Osian Pryce, with local co-driver Dale Furniss alongside, was utterly dominant. Back in an Escort MkII, Pryce was fastest in the Historic field on every single stage, pulling out almost a minute by the finish. It was a commanding display and perfect preparation ahead of his tilt at the Roger Albert Clark Rally later in the year.
Behind him, Paul Barrett and Arthur Kierans took second overall in the Historics, and crucially top BHRC points. Their result keeps the Category 3 fight alive going into the Trackrod Rally Yorkshire.
But the biggest celebration came from Barry “Baz” Jordan and Arwel Jenkins. A steady run in their Mitsubishi Galant VR4 was enough to secure the 2025 BHRC title, making them the first Category 4 crew, and the first in a four-wheel-drive, turbocharged machine, to take the championship. It marked a historic new chapter for the BHRC.
In the Mini Challenge Rally, the single-make series which tackled the opening four stages, Kyle Wilson and Mark Broadbent took victory by over 30 seconds in their Mini Cooper S.
The rally was not without its challenges. The afternoon rain turned Hafren and Tarenig into a mud-slick test of concentration, with plenty of crews sliding off and losing time in the conditions. Yet, the 160-strong entry was rewarded with some of the most spectacular action of the season, and thousands of spectators lined the stages to see it unfold. The event is named in memory of respected rally driver and coach Phil Price, who passed away in 2021.
Images courtesy of Andrew Scott / Xlerate