Osian fights at the front in Poland

01.07.16

News release

Osian fights at the front in Poland

Osian Pryce has driven a near-perfect day to place his Ford Fiesta R2T in a provisional podium position at the end of the opening leg of Rally Poland stages.

The Welshman has once again demonstrated his trademark speed – which carried him to victory on the opening round of the Drive DMACK Fiesta Trophy in Portugal – posting two fastest times on the high-speed roads in the Polish lake district today.

Apart from a small mistake on the opening stage of the day, Osian and co-driver Dale Furniss have been a model of consistency, setting top three stage times on today’s remaining seven gravel tests.

Third at the end of day one, Osian said: “We’ve had a pretty good day. I was really annoyed with myself on the first stage. I slid a little bit wide on a third-gear right-hander and the car got into the sandier stuff at the side of the road and that just pulled us out a little wider. We came to a halt and I had to drive carefully through a bit of a hole before we could get going again.

“I’d say that cost us between five and eight seconds, which is a heck of a lot to give away when you’re fighting in identical cars. After that, it’s been OK. I’ve pushed on in a couple of places and we’ve picked up some fastest times, but the key to today was to get ourselves settled in. We’ve done that and now we can pick up the pace and chase some fastest times tomorrow and look to maybe move a step or two up that provisional podium.”

Tomorrow’s stages take the crews further north, close to the border with the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad and Lithuania. Fortunately for Osian, he has better knowledge of the day two stages, having competed on some of them last season.

Today was…

Osian’s day in detail. His times against his DDFT rivals.

SS1: 6thfastest (6thin DDFT) there’s more grip than Osian thinks

SS2: 6thfastest (6thin DDFT) slides wide and drops eight seconds

SS3: 2ndfastest (3rdin DDFT) happy with everything, Osian picks the pace up

SS4: 3rdfastest (3rdin DDFT) top three times all within 1.4s of each other

SS5: fastest (3rd in DDFT) ends the morning on a high with fastest time

SS6: 2ndfastest (3rdin DDFT) Osian holds position, another consistent time

SS7: fastest (3rd in DDFT) Perfect run means fastest time

SS8: 3rdfastest (3rdin DDFT) Cautious in some of the rutted sections

SS9: 3rdfastest (3rdin DDFT) Osian caught in dust from the previous competitor

SS10: 3rdfastest (3rdin DDFT) Rounds out the day with third at the superspecial

Weather:

Today: overcast, occasional sunshine. Temperatures: 18-27 Celsius.

Tomorrow: hotter, more overcast with possible showers.

Tomorrow is…

Saturday July 2

Osian’s day starts: 0900

Osian’s day finishes: 2128

Number of stages: seven

Competitive distance: 77.41 miles (124.58km)

Total distance: 326.04 miles (524.69km)

Longest stage: SS12/15 Stanczyki 15.70 miles (25.27km)

Shortest stage: SS17 Mikolajki Superpspecial 1.55 miles (2.50km)

Meet Osian…

Date of birth: 24.02.93

Lives: Machynlleth

Co-driver: Dale Furniss

First rally: Rally Kurzeme (Latvia) August 2009 – 37thoverall, eighth 2WD

Rally starts: 57

British Rally Championship event wins: 5*

British Rally Championship results: 2nd(2013/14), 3rd(2012)

World Rally Championship starts: 6

World Rally Championship class wins: 2

Website: osianpryce.com

* Including Osian’s dominant National Rally Cup victory on this year’s Mid Wales Stages

About Rally Poland

June 30-July 3

Based: Mikolajki

Surface: gravel

Stages: 21

Competitive distance: 190.21 miles (306.10km)

Total distance: 778.79 miles (1253.29km)

Website: www.rajdpolski.pl

Rally Poland itinerary

Thursday June 30

Start Mikolajki main square 1600

SS1 Mikolajki Arena 1 2.50km (1.55 miles) 1908

Friday July 1

SS2 Chmielewo 1 6.52km (4.05 miles) 0715

SS3 Wieliczki 1 17.30km (10.75 miles) 0900

SS4 Swietajno 1 21.14km (13.13 miles) 1010

SS5 Stare Juchy 1 13.50km (8.38 miles)        1055

Service Mikolajki 1240

SS6 Chmielewo 2 6.52km (4.05 miles) 1355

SS7 Wieliczki 2 17.30km (10.75 miles) 1540

SS8 Swietajno 2 21.14km (13.13 miles) 1650

SS9 Stare Juchy 2 13.50km (8.38 miles)        1735

SS10 Mikolajki Arena 2 2.50km (1.55 miles) 1928

Service Mikolajki 1948

Saturday July 2

SS11 Goldap 1 14.75km (9.16 miles) 0955

SS12 Stanczyki 1 25.27km (15.70 miles)        1125

SS13 Babki 1         21.02km (13.06 miles) 1215

Remote tyre zone Goldap 1315

SS14 Stanczyki 2 25.27km (15.70 miles)        1450

SS15 Babki 2         21.02km (13.06 miles) 1540

SS16 Goldap 2 14.75km (9.16 miles) 1650

SS17 Mikolajki Arena 3 2.50km (1.55 miles) 1908

Service Mikolajki 1928

Sunday July 3

SS18 Baranowo 1 21.25km (13.20 miles) 0820

SS19 Sady 1          8.55km (5.31 miles)         0908

Service Mikolajki 0935

SS20 Baranowo 2 21.25km (13.20 miles) 1050

SS21 Sady 2          8.55km (5.31 miles)         1208

Finish Mikolajki main square 1400

Media contact:

Andrzej Borowczyk +48 721 527453

a.borowczyk@rallypoland.pl

Now say hello to the Ford Fiesta R2T

Engine: 999cc turbo, 12-valve, three cylinders

Max power: 180bhp @ 6,200rpm

Max torque: 250Nm @ 4,000rpm

Transmission: Sadev five-speed sequential gearbox, plated limited-slip differential and uprated driveshafts

Suspension: Adjustable Reiger dampers, Eibach springs

Brakes: 285mm discs four-piston calipers (front gravel); 310mm discs four-piston calipers (front asphalt); 280mm discs two-piston calipers (rear); hydraulic handbrake

Wheels: OZ Racing 6x15-inch (gravel); 6.5x15-inch (asphalt)

Dimensions: length 3982mm; width 1695mm; height 1481mm; wheelbase 2490mm

Weight: 1030kg

About the Drive DMACK Fiesta Trophy

The brainchild of M-Sport World Rally Team principal Malcolm Wilson and DMACK managing director Dick Cormack, the DDFT takes the best young drivers from around the world and pitches them into a five-round fight for the biggest prize south of the World Rally Championship itself.

There’s a season in a Ford Fiesta R5 car at rallying’s second tier – WRC2 – on offer to the winner after five rounds. The structure of DDFT has changed slightly this season, with rallies being paired (Portugal and Poland; Poland and Finland; Germany and Spain) and the crew gathering the most points from each of those two rallies will win two rallies in the R5 car next season.

Winning a full WRC2 season of 2017 competition in an M-Sport Fiesta R5 will require consistent speed from Osian and Dale this year. 

Media contact:

Sandra Evans

+44 7887 693993

sandra@wordspr.com

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