By Paul Evans
Elfyn Evans is aiming to get back to his winning ways this year, as he leads the M-Sport Ford World Rally Team as its number one driver in the 2019 FIA World Rally Championship.
A poor start to the 2018 season saw the 30-year old Dolgellau driver having to play a supporting role to team-mate Sébastien Ogier in his successful quest for a sixth world title. But with the Frenchman now gone to rival team Citroën, Evans will lead the M-Sport assault – contesting all 14 rounds of the WRC, while less experienced team-mates share a second and third team car.
Evans will also have a new co-driver this year, as Scott Martin – who has most recently co-driven for Irishman Craig Breen – replaces Dan Barritt.
Last year’s results didn’t show Evans’ true pace, with mechanical issues, punctures and mishaps – often cropping up early in an event – putting him in a frustrating catch-up position.
Wales Rally GB was perhaps the perfect illustration of what his 2018 season had been like. Having won the event the previous year, Evans was the only driver able to keep up with the flying pace of Ott Tänak (Toyota) before a sensor problem on a road section robbed him of second place. It just wasn’t his year.
But Ogier won two WRC drivers’ titles in an EcoBoost-powered Ford Fiesta WRC, and there is no reason why the nitrous blue coloured car can’t continue to be a rally winning machine in the hands of a rejuvenated Evans.
“I’m very pleased to be continuing with M-Sport,” said Evans. “Obviously it’s been my home now for quite some number of years and it feels really good going into the new season going to fight for rally wins and getting back on track.
“It was a very difficult year for me last year, especially the first half of the season. Then, whenever you’re on the back foot, Seb [Ogier] was fighting for the championship and we had to do our part to assist on a lot of rallies. It did make it a difficult season, but I’m confident that we demonstrated the speed that we need to win rallies and it’s just a case of doing that now on every rally.
“Towards the end of last season we definitely relaxed and had a lot more faith in what we were doing and I think I can carry that forward into the new year. I’m pretty sure I know exactly what I need to do, so I’m really looking forward to it.
“Winning is definitely the aim for 2019. Obviously, I’ve got Scott [Martin] sitting beside me for the first time, I’m really looking forward to it and hopefully we can have a lot of success together.”
The opening round of the 2019 FIA World Rally Championship is the Monte-Carlo Rally (24-27 January).