IOAN Lloyd has pledged to bounce back stronger than ever following a devastating fire that cost him any chance of a strong result on the Donegal International Rally (June 21-23).

Young Welsh rally star Lloyd and co-driver Sion Williams were well placed heading into the second day of the three-day rally in their Peugeot 208 Rally4 in a bid for another strong result in the Stellantis Motorsport Rally Cup.

Unfortunately, a fire developed underneath the car mid-way through the Knockalla stage. As soon as they realised, Ioan and Sion stopped and tried to put the fire out with the extinguishers and fire sticks they carry on board.

Thankfully, two following crews also stopped and collectively they managed to get the fire out before the car was destroyed. Not only were they out of the rally, but they now face a major rebuild to have the car ready for the next round of the Stellantis Cup and the Probite British Rally Championship, the Grampian Rally in Scotland on August 10.

“It was all going to plan,” said 21-year old Lloyd from Llandysul. “Kyle McBride had been strong on Friday on his home ground, but we were well placed to attack him during Saturday and Sunday.

“We were lucky to save the car at all and it's sickening to see the damage.

“We owe a massive thanks to Chris O'Callaghan and Frank Kelly who stopped and helped us get the fire put out. It was a brand new car before the event and there is a lot of work to get it back to that condition, so it's a massive blow to our season.”

However, Lloyd remains positive about the balance of 2024 and knows that his pace was strong on the challenging Irish event.

“We plan to be ready for the Grampian, but we've got to finish all the rounds now as that was our second dropped score so it keeps the pressure on. Our pace was good so there are lots of positives to take away and we will bounce back,” he promised.

After the Donegal event, the remaining four Stellantis rounds include three UK events, starting with the gravel of the Grampian Rally in Scotland on 10 August, which is also the next round of the Probite British Rally Championship.

For the Donegal Rally, Ioan welcomed U Value Sips as a weekend partner for the rally. “I’d like to thank U Value Sips for their valuable support,” said Ioan.

Ioan Lloyd is proud to be supported by David Byrne Auto Repairs, West Wales Rally Spares, Huw Jeffreys and Sons Plumbing and Heating Engineers, Mark Jukes Containers, Abba Tree Specialist, Motordrive Seats, Towy Electrical Ltd, Panta Racing Fuel, Atech Racing, Bleddyn Thomas Haulage Contractors, Garej Tyn y Pistyll, ABC Autosport Bearings and Components, Freemans Bodyshop, Monit Motorsport, Solid Designs, Neil Spain, Mintex, 2300 Club John Easson Award, Kielder WT, Gareth Owens Building Contractor, Moduron Teifi Motors, Safety Devices International Ltd, TRS Safety Equipment, Pro Dent, Gomer Press, Rick’s Body Shop, Wyn Thomas Heating, Towy Works and On The Pacenote.