Max McRae produced the drive of his championship campaign so far at the JDS Machinery Rali Ceredigion (4-6 September 2026), winning the British Rally Championship classification and moving to the top of the standings with one round left to play for.
The event brings the BRC together with the FIA European Rally Championship and one of the strongest international fields of the season.
Max laid down his marker on Friday night, taking the lead through the opening stages and carrying that advantage into Saturday. He then held his nerve through the closing stages in the face of sustained pressure from championship rival Osian Pryce, sealing his second BRC victory of the season and his first at Ceredigion.
The result was worth more than the win alone. Max had nominated Ceredigion as his championship âJokerâ, meaning the points scored there count for more, and that call has reshaped the title picture.
Sunday brought a second strong result, with Max and Cammy taking second place in the BRC classification as Meirion Evans took the win. Across the full international event, the pair brought the Å koda Fabia RS Rally2 home an impressive fourth overall, ahead of a field packed with ERC regulars.
"It's been a really strong weekend for us and the car has been brilliant," said Max. "To take the win on Saturday and back it up on Sunday is exactly what we needed for the championship. The pace has been there all year and the progression has been really strong, so to come here and mix it with this level of competition and come away leading is a big moment for us."
The result sets up a title decider at the Lewis & Hunter Cambrian Rally on 24 October, which sees crews returning to the forests of North Wales for the final round. Max leads the championship, but with Pryce and Evans close enough to keep it a genuine three-way fight.
And it was at the Cambrian twelve months ago that Max scored his maiden British Rally Championship win, a breakthrough result that ended a near three-decade gap since the McRae family's last success at British championship level.
Max's 2026 campaign has been his best yet. Victory at the Jim Clark Rally in May made him the fourth member of his family to win that event, following his earlier win on Rally North Wales, and Ceredigion has now added a second BRC win and the championship lead.
