By Paul Evans
Phil Mills, the 2003 World Rally Champion Co-driver, will come out of retirement to co-drive for Elfyn Evans on next weekend’s Tour of Corsica (5-8 April).
With Evans’ regular co-driver Daniel Barritt needing more time to recover from the sixth-gear roll the pair suffered at the previous FIA World Rally Championship round in Mexico, the 29-year old Dolgellau driver was left searching for a replacement navigator to partner him in his works M-Sport Ford Fiesta WRC.
Mills is massively experienced, having guided Petter Solberg to 13 WRC victories and the 2003 world title. The 54-year old’s last WRC event was in 2010, but he has kept very much involved in rallying – running his own highly successful historic rally car preparations firm, Viking Motorsport, from its base in Newtown. More importantly, Mills has also been helping Evans behind the scenes as part of his WRC gravel crew for the past five years, and thus knows his fellow Welshman’s pacenote system inside out.
“This is an event that I really enjoy, and we’ll be looking to maximise that next week,” said Evans. “The speed is there, but I’ve not had the best start to the year and that’s something I’m determined to put right in Corsica.
“It won’t be easy without Dan, but his fitness comes first and it’s important that he has the time to make a full recovery for the rest of the season. Phil has stepped in, and I hope that we can push for a good result. Phil certainly knows his stuff. Other than Dan, he knows my pacenotes better than anyone and he’s certainly no stranger when it comes to winning rallies.
“This year’s route has a lot of new sections, but it’s still a technical challenge which is one of the things I really enjoy here. There’s quite a lot of variation amongst the stages – some are surprisingly smooth, but then there are those which are typically Corsican with abrasive Tarmac that twists through the mountains.
“It’s all about adapting to the conditions, and that will be the case even more so for us next week. We’ll have a fairly late running order which won’t be ideal, and we’ll need some time to get used to one another in the car as well. We’ll just have to see how it goes and do the best we can. I’ve had some good results here in the past, and I’m keen to see what we can do this year.”
As the first Tarmac event of the year, Corsica will present yet another fresh challenge following the three specialised rallies that have opened the season. While the route has been heavily revamped and will run in parts of the island not used in competition for years, the challenge remains the same. Narrow and relentlessly winding mountain roads await the crews and the abrasive asphalt is tough on tyres. Factor in potentially inclement weather in the hills and France’s round of the Championship is another classic on the calendar as well as a tough physical challenge for those behind the wheel.