Day 2 of Rali Ceredigion brought plenty of action with nine demanding stages. The route included Cwm Elan, Y Diafol, and Mydroilyn, each run twice, before finishing with a repeat of Friday’s city stage in Aberystwyth.
The day began with Marczyk in the lead, holding a 1:15.0 advantage over Matulka (+1.2) and Armstrong (+1.9). But everything changed quickly in the morning. Armstrong made a flying start on SS2, moving straight into first place. He kept up his strong pace throughout the day and never let go of the lead.
Current championship leader Marczyk dropped down after struggling with SS3, where several crests and jumps caught him out because they weren’t included in his pacenotes. He fell back to fourth overall but recovered some ground in SS4, ending the day in third place.
British Rally Championship driver Jürgenson impressed with consistent speed and now holds second place overall.
By the end of Day 2, the standings were:
- 1st: Armstrong – 1:04:05.3
- 2nd: Jürgenson – +7.3
- 3rd: Marczyk – +20.9
Andrea Mabellini continued to fight back after his costly two-minute penalty from earlier in the rally. He is currently sixth, 2:28.3 behind the leader. Without the penalty, he would be sitting in fourth place overall.
There was also disappointment for Allen and Matulka, who both went off during SS6. Fortunately, both crews were unhurt.
If Armstrong goes on to win Rali Ceredigion, the final ERC round promises to be even more exciting, with the championship battle going right down to the wire.