Nicky Grist Motorsport Becomes Title Sponsor for the Quinton Stages Rally

Welsh rally legend, Nicky Grist is pleased to announce that Nicky Grist Motorsport is to become the long-term title sponsor for the popular BTRDA round of the Quinton Stages Rally. The rally will now be known as the Nicky Grist Quinton Stages Rally. and will run on the 9th July this year.

Having spent the last three years as vice-president to the Quinton Stages Motor Club, Nicky is already a very active member of both the rally and the club. Last year, the BTRDA voted the Quinton Stages Rally The ‘Best Rally of 2010’ and this year, Nicky will work with the club to raise the standard even higher to make the rally one of the highlights to the British Rally calendar.

“There are now a number of events globally that are named after some of my closest fellow competitors, such as Malcolm Wilson, Richard Burns, and, of course, Colin McRae, and I realised that they were all fantastic drivers, and that there were no rallies that aligned with a co-driver. It seemed appropriate to have one in Wales and I feel very honoured to have my name attached to such a great rally on the British circuit. I am very excited at the future plans we have for the Nicky Grist Quinton Stages” commented Nicky at the motor club’s awards evening.

With Nicky’s vast experience at WRC level, competing throughout the world, he is able to bring a host of innovative and exciting ideas to the rally, to ensure it not only keeps attracting a healthy entry list, but also brings new excitement to both competitors and spectators. For 2011 Nick is working with the organising team to make the event into a short, sharp rally incorporating 44 stage miles covering the WRC forest stages of Eypnt but reducing the road miles to only 30. Nicky, with the club organisers, are instigating a number of other changes to make the rally even more exciting and these changes will be announcing during May.

Since retiring from WRC level competition, Nicky has kept in close contact with many of the top competitors in both rally and on track through his retail shop, Nicky Grist Motorsport and Nicky is keen to develop Nicky Grist Quinton Stages as the best national forest rally in the UK. The Quinton Stages Rally First category is one Nicky has been most involved with in over recent years, and is keen to support young and up and coming competitors to hone their skills on some of the stages that are incorporated in the Wales Rally GB. As a mentor and trainer for Team UK, Nicky works tirelessly to support the future of British Rally and is dedicated to keeping the rally scene fresh and inviting for all levels of competition.

“With Crychan stages, Half Way and Route 60. the Quinton Stages incorporates some of the most challenging stages in the Wales Rally GB and I am looking to work with the Quinton Motor Club to make this successful and prestigious rally a must for all rally drivers in the future” enthused Nicky

“Nicky is absolutely bubbling with ideas”, reported Clerk of the Course, Neil Cross, “and is making us think anew about how we approach both planning and running the event. We are proud of the accolades that have been heaped upon the Quinton Stages by the BTRDA and competitors alike in recent years, but are keen to move still further forward. Some of Nicky’s ideas are taking us into areas that no one has ever thought possible and we plan to incorporate as many of those as we can over the next few years.”

The Nicky Grist Quinton Stages will be giving out leaflets at the Somerset Stages round of the BTRDA on the 16th April and anyone interested in entering the Nicky Grist Quinton Stages Rally should contact Nick James on +44 (0) 121 503 0506.