By Paul Evans

Elfyn Evans admits that finishing second on the Rally of Portugal has “alleviated the pressure” he felt he was under in this year’s FIA World Rally Championship.

The 29-year old Dolgellau driver drove brilliantly to score his best result of the 2018 season – setting two fastest stage times in a consistent performance in his M-Sport-run Ford Fiesta WRC. The 18 points he scored for finishing second, plus the extra bonus point awarded for being fifth fastest on the Power Stage, was more points than he’d scored in the previous four WRC rounds put together, and puts Evans up to seventh in the Drivers’ standings on 45 points.

“I’m happy with this result, and a bit relieved too if I’m honest,” said Evans. “Everyone knows that our season didn’t get off to the best of starts. Monte started well with the exception of the puncture, but one thing led to another and it quickly snowballed into what was becoming a pretty dismal season.

“We knew coming here that we needed to get some strong points on the board – for the team and for us as well. So to come away with second place was good. It wasn’t perfect, and there are some areas where we can still improve. I wasn’t entirely happy with my driving through all of the stages, but it’s certainly alleviated the pressure and we can go to Sardinia in a positive frame of mind.”

“This result is exactly what Elfyn needed, and he did a great job – setting fastest times and delivering a flawless drive through some very tricky conditions,” added M-Sport boss Malcolm Wilson. “He said himself that there is still room for improvement, and hopefully this result can act as a springboard for him to get even better as the season continues.”