Elfyn Evans says that next week’s Wales Rally GB (3-6 October) is the “highlight of my year, every year” as the Dolgellau ace prepares to return to the FIA World Rally Championship after an injury-induced lay-off. Evans, who won the event in 2017, was having a good season in the M-Sport Ford Fiesta WRC. Only a puncture on the final stage of the Tour of Corsica robbed him of a second career WRC victory and he had been fourth in the drivers’ standings – which was the best of the rest behind the three-way fight for the title between Ott Tänak (Toyota), Sébastien Ogier (Citroen) and Thierry Neuville (Hyundai). But Evans hurt his back on a heavy landing on the non-championship Rally Estonia in July, and he’s been out of the WRC ever since. However, a recent full day’s testing in Wales went well, and he and co-driver Scott Martin are keen to resume where their WRC season left off three rounds ago.

By his own admission, the last ten weeks have been a nightmare for Elfyn Evans as he’s had to sit out three rounds of the FIA World Rally Championship as he recovers from a back injury. But the good news – for both him and rally fans – is that recent testing has gone well and he’s been passed fit for next month’s Wales Rally GB (3-6 October). The 30-year old Dolgellau ace was enjoying a good season before hurting his back after a heavy and awkward landing during July’s non-championship Rally Estonia. “I actually finished the rally – there was some pain but it was only after visiting a specialist on my return to the UK that the full extent of the injury was revealed,” said Evans. “They told me it was advisable not to keep driving for fear of making it worse.”

Elfyn Evans will make his comeback on home soil in October’s Wales Rally GB. The Dolgellau-born racer missed the events in Finland and Germany after injuring his back in a non-championship rally in Estonia last month. Evans will also sit-out Rally Turkey on 12-15 September but specialists have given him the all-clear to drive his M-Sport Ford Fiesta WRC car in front of his home fans.

Elfyn Evans will miss the next round of the FIA World Rally Championship, Rally Germany, as he continues to recover from an injury sustained on a non-championship event. The 30-year old M-Sport driver suffered a back injury following a heavy and awkward high-speed landing on the recent Rally Estonia. The injury forced him out of last weekend’s Rally Finland, and it will also put him out of the next round of the series as well, which takes place in Germany in a few weeks time.

Elfyn Evans will miss the next round of the FIA World Rally Championship, Rally Finland. The 30-year old Dolgellau driver has been ruled out on medical grounds, having suffered a heavy landing at last weekend’s Rally Estonia. Currently sitting fourth in the championship standings, Evans will now focus on making a full and swift recovery to continue what has been a strong performance from him and co-driver Scott Martin so far this season.

Elfyn Evans finished fourth on Rally Italy, despite losing his battle for position with Andreas Mikkelsen (Hyundai) today by less than a second. Just 7.9 seconds separated them going into today’s final four stages, but an inspired Mikkelsen set fastest time on all of them. Evans thought he’d finished fifth, before runaway leader Ott Tänak (Toyota) hit steering problems on the final stage – dropping him behind the Welshman and putting Evans back up into fourth. But Evans and co-driver Scott Martin were disappointed – the smallest of margins of being a little too cautious on the hairpins in their M-Sport Ford Fiesta WRC proved to be the difference between standing on the podium or not.

Elfyn Evans completed a very long, baking hot and bone shaking Saturday in Rally Italy in fourth position – and there will be no easing off on the final day on Sunday, as the M-Sport Ford Fiesta WRC driver starts it just 7.9 seconds ahead of fifth placed Andreas Mikkelsen (Hyundai). While the top three edged out a bit of a gap at the top of the leaderboard, Evans was embroiled in a very close battle with the Norwegian driver. Co-driven by Scott Martin, the Welshman will want to hold onto fourth, as it will give him extra points and put him in pole position to benefit from any mistakes or misfortune that happen ahead of him.

Elfyn Evans finished a long, hard, hot and punishing first full day of Rally Italy this evening in a very strong fifth place and a mere 20.3 seconds off the lead – despite a problematic morning and a time-consuming overshoot in the afternoon. The 30-year old Dolgellau driver reported a strange feeling with his M-Sport Ford Fiesta WRC on the morning loop of four gravel stages, which is not what you need on such a difficult, narrow and twisty loose-surface event where large car destroying rocks lie in wait by the side of the road. Co-driven by Scott Martin, that didn’t stop Evans reach midday service just 5.9 seconds shy of the top spot, which was a truly magnificent performance.

Elfyn Evans made a good start to Rally Italy today, setting the seventh fastest time on the opening stage in his M-Sport Ford Fiesta WRC – a mere 1.8 seconds off the fastest time. Around 20,000 people packed into the former motocross track in Ittiri, not far from the host town of Alghero, to watch the FIA World Rally Championship stars in early action. It was a tricky little stage, with a big artificial jump and a very deep watersplash, but it was no trouble for Evans and co-driver Scott Martin as they set a good time.

After what looked like a pretty disastrous situation on Friday, Elfyn Evans brought both his mechanical and driving skills to the fore to salvage a good result at Rally Portugal – finishing fifth on the event and moving up to fourth in the FIA World Rally Championship drivers’ standings. The Dolgellau driver was down in 20th place after his Ford Fiesta WRC came to a halt with a loose throttle pedal connection. It might be an easy push-it-back-in fix, but it’s a devil of a fault to find – and to only lose four minutes was all credit to his problem fixing capabilities. From then on it was his never give up attitude that paid dividends. He and co-driver Scott Martin started today’s final leg in seventh position, but that became sixth when Esapekka Lappi / Janne Ferme rolled their Citroen C3 WRC. And then Kris Meeke / Seb Marshall gifted Evans another position when they crashed their Toyota Yaris WRC on the final stage.

It looks like the driver who has the least problems will win Rally Portugal today, but despite a magnificent comeback, that won’t be Elfyn Evans. He dropped to 20th after stopping for four minutes on Friday when a throttle pedal connection came loose on his M-Sport Ford Fiesta WRC. The consequence of this meant that the Dolgellau ace was forced to run first on the road on Saturday, which was another disadvantage on the long gravel stages. Yet Evans and co-driver Scott Martin will start today’s final leg in seventh place, after a remarkable fight back up the leaderboard. And with bonus points available on the final Power Stage, they hope to finish a frustrating event with a flurry.

Elfyn Evans will start today’s second leg of Rally Portugal from 16th place, after a loose throttle pedal connection brought his M-Sport Ford Fiesta WRC to a halt for four minutes on SS5. It was only Evans’ exceptional mechanical skills that allowed him to find and fix the fault, but the delay has ruined all chances of victory. He and co-driver Scott Martin had started well, and started stage five in fifth position overall, but dropped to 20th after stopping in the stage. They jumped back to 16th after a good run through SS6, but ended the day just over four and a half minutes off the leaders, Ott Tänak/Martin Järveoja (Toyota Yaris WRC).