Elfyn Evans has joined the TOYOTA GAZOO Racing World Rally Team for the 2020 and 2021 FIA World Rally Championships – joining six time world champion Sébastien Ogier and rising star Kalle Rovanperä in an all-new star-studded driver line-up. Until now, the 30-year old speedster has been synonymous with Ford – his family business is a Ford dealership in Dolgellau and he has driven for M-Sport for the last 10 years. As a big part of the M-Sport family, packing his bags and moving to a rival squad would not have been an easy decision to make – but it’s one that probably gives Evans and co-driver Scott Martin the best chance of challenging for the World Rally title over the next two seasons.Evans might only have won one World Championship rally so far in his career, Wales Rally GB in 2017, but he came very close to adding to that tally this year and most certainly has the speed and experience to win any event on the 2020 calendar – regardless of the surface and the location.

Elfyn Evans finished Rally Spain in style by setting the second fastest time on the closing Power Stage – beaten only to the top time by Ott Tänak/Martin Järveoja, who yesterday became the 2019 FIA World Rally Champions. Together with co-driver Scott Martin, Evans had struggled since a misfire on Friday put the M-Sport Ford Fiesta WRC driver out of contention – and from then on it was a frustrating run to the finish. But the extra Power Stage bonus points have put the Dolgellau ace up into equal fourth in the drivers’ points standings – which is back to where he was before an injury enforced layoff saw him miss three rounds of the series.

Elfyn Evans has been driving the socks off his M-Sport Ford Fiesta WRC over the ultra-fastest asphalt roads of Rally Spain today, but the stage-winning times he was searching for just weren’t there as he slipped to over a minute behind the leaders with just one day of the event remaining. Evans started today’s leg in seventh place, and moved up to sixth when Kris Meeke (Toyota) crashed out. And despite a huge effort, that’s where Evans has remained – with the title of top Brit and top Ford driver coming as little consolation on an event he was aiming to win. Co-driven by Scott Martin, the Dolgellau driver set an encouraging fourth fastest time through the day’s opening speed test, but after that he was unable to maintain the same rhythm, albeit through no lack of high-speed commitment.

Elfyn Evans showed flashes of speed on Rally Spain today, but having been as high as a challenging fourth mid-way through the opening day, the Dolgellau ace had slipped down to seventh by the end of the gravel stages. A couple of half spins cost Evans and co-driver Scott Martin vital seconds through the opening loop, but a strong run through the first pass of ‘La Fatarella-Vilalba’ (SS3) promoted them to fourth place going into the afternoon. Starting the second loop just 10 seconds adrift of the lead, the M-Sport Ford pairing were on a mission but couldn’t muster the same rhythm and suffered a misfire through the final stage (SS6).

Having skipped three rounds of this year’s FIA World Rally Championship through injury, and narrowly missed out a couple of victories thanks to a puncture in Corsica and Wales Rally GB, Elfyn Evans goes into this weekend’s Rally Spain with some unfinished business to attend to – and as he’s ultra quick on both gravel and Tarmac, the only mixed-surface round of the series should suit him well. Evans’ M-Sport team has prepared hard for this event, completing a comprehensive three-day test on roads around Tarragona. With just Rally Spain and Rally Australia remaining, it does not want to end the year as the only manufacturer not to have won a round of the 2019 series, as it looks to its number one driver to fulfil the Ford Fiesta WRC’s event winning potential. And Evans certainly has a strong chance of doing just that this weekend, as this will be his seventh attempt at Rally Spain – with a career-best third place finish coming last year.

Elfyn Evans finished fifth on Wales Rally GB today – and had it not been for two small issues, he might well have won Britain’s round of the FIA World Rally Championship in his M-Sport Ford Fiesta WRC. A poor opening stage time at Oulton Park and a puncture and suspension damage in Penmachno forest cost Evans 55 seconds – and at the end of the four-day, 22 stage event, the Dolgellau ace was 48.6 seconds off the winner’s time. Co-driven by Scott Martin, Evans set another cracking pace at the start of the final day of the event, with fastest time on the second stage of the day (SS19, Brenig 1) finally putting him ahead of Andreas Mikkelsen (Hyundai) and up to fifth. With the Great Orme stage cancelled (the sea was too rough for safety divers to be positioned), just the repeat of the Alwen and Brenig forest stages remained, with Evans setting fastest time on the penultimate stage (his seventh of the event) and fourth quickest on the closing Power Stage to secure fifth place. His speed over all-but two of the Wales Rally GB stages had been extraordinary, and in the end he’d closed to within 13 seconds of fourth placed Kris Meeke – having been 53 seconds behind the Toyota driver after SS3.

Elfyn Evans was the star of the gruelling ‘Super Saturday’ leg of Wales Rally GB, showing true FIA World Rally Championship winning pace in his M-Sport Ford Fiesta WRC. Indeed, he may look back on the 2019 event and see two very small standout moments – a poor opening stage time at Oulton Park and a puncture and suspension damage in Penmachno forest – that ultimately denied him victory. Evans and co-driver Scott Martin left Llandudno just after 6am this morning and headed towards the classic mid-Wales stages, and jumped from eighth to sixth position on the leaderboard with fastest time on the opening stage through Dyfi forest.

Elfyn Evans has finished Friday’s dramatic leg of Wales Rally GB in eighth place, after a near miss in Penmachno forest damaged his chances of winning Britain’s round of the FIA World Rally Championship this year. Evans put last night’s poor opening stage at Oulton Park behind him by jumping from 22nd to sixth position with fastest time on Friday’s opening stage, Elsi 1, in his M-Sport Ford Fiesta WRC. Conditions were atrocious, with mud and standing water making the forest roads extremely slippery, and on the next stage in Penmachno forest he slid wide, clipped a bank and collected a puncture – with the 43 seconds lost dropping him down to 12th. Fourth fastest through Dyfnant (SS4) and another fastest time in Aberhirnant put Evans and co-driver Scott Martin back into the top 10, as crews arrived back in Llandudno for mid-day service.

Elfyn Evans has made a steady start to Wales Rally GB, completing a very slippery opening stage at the Oulton Park motor racing circuit without drama. His time of 2mins 59.8secs was, however, over 12 seconds off the fastest time set by Kris Meeke/Seb Marshall (Toyota), leaving the Dolgellau driver outside the top 20. But fear not, because the short 3.58km blast around a venue better known for hosting motorbike and touring car races is nothing compared to what’s to follow over the next three days, with tomorrow’s route through Dyfnant, Aberhirnant, Elsi and Penmachno forests (not to mention the Slate Mountain stage) a full 116kms in length.

On his return to competition, a now fully fighting fit Elfyn Evans set the second best time on today’s Wales Rally GB Shakedown stage. Co-driven by Scott Martin in the home favourites’ M-Sport Ford Fiesta WRC, the 30-year old from Dolgellau set an impressive time of 2mins 55.2 secs through the 4.68km Gwydir forest stage, equal with Citroën Total WRT team-mates Sébastien Ogier/Julien Ingrassia and Esapekka Lappi/Janne Ferm. Kris Meeke/Seb Marshall set the fastest time of 2min 54.1secs in their Toyota Yaris WRC, 1.1 seconds quicker than their nearest rivals. Their Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT team-mates and World Championship leaders Ott Tänak/Martin Järveoja were eighth fastest, over two seconds behind.

Wales Rally GB begins this morning, with crews leaving the Service Area in Llandudno and tackling the Shakedown stage in Gwydir forest. Elfyn Evans has enjoyed a good two day recce this week and says that he’s ready for his home round of the FIA World Rally Championship, despite a three month layoff after hurting his back in July. “Of course I’ll be doing everything I can to win, it’s what we are here for,” says Evans. “The recce has been good and the stages are looking excellent. It’s looking like the first real day [Friday] will be more tricky in terms of, let’s say surprises on the stages thanks to the conditions that we were perhaps not expecting, but overall, it’s been a pretty good two days.”

Elfyn Evans could need 24 hours to get back to his best when he takes to the roads at the Wales Rally GB. That’s the verdict of Nicky Grist, when assessing the chances of Wales’ top driver who is making his return from injury at his home event. The M-Sport Ford driver from Dolgellau in back hunting for points in the World Rally Championship after a back injury forced him to miss the legs in Finland, Germany and Turkey.