Elfyn Evans finished sixth on the Monte Carlo Rally but knows it could have been so much better. The Dolgellau-born flier was less than 12 seconds behind the fourth placed Kris Meeke after four gruelling, incident packed days in the French Alps.

Elfyn Evans is in a three man scrap for fourth place after continuing his Monte Carlo comeback. The 29-year-old goes into the final day in sixth spot having been 16th on Thursday night after losing several minutes with a puncture.

Elfyn Evans staged a stirring comeback to climb up the Monte Carlo Rally rankings on the second day. The Dolgellau-born flier had cruelly lost over three minutes after a puncture on the opening leg on Thursday.

It was far from the perfect start to the 2018 FIA World Rally Championship in Monte Carlo for Elfyn Evans, who was forced to stop and change a punctured front Michelin tyre a third of the way through the opening Sisteron stage – cruelly costing the works M-Sport Ford Fiesta RS WRC driver almost four minutes.

This is the car that Elfyn Evans hopes will carry him to FIA World Rally Championship glory this year – a 380bhp, four-wheel drive, 1.6-litre turbocharged, flame-spitting, EcoBoost-powered Ford Fiesta RS WRC, built and run by M-Sport.

Exclusive By Paul Evans Elfyn Evans reckons he’s prepared and ready to start the 2018 FIA World Rally Championship on a high, after a very good two-day test ahead of the opening round of the series, the famous Monte Carlo Rally.

The countdown to this year’s Dayinsure Wales Rally GB (4-7 October) has commenced. The clock started ticking with the official high profile launch of the 2018 FIA World Rally Championship at last weekend’s Autosport International Show at Birmingham’s NEC.

Welsh rally ace Matt Edwards will drive a Ford Fiesta R5 after his Swift Go Rally Team opted for M-Sport to run their campaign in the MSA Prestone British Rally Championship. Ever-improving throughout 2017, Llandudno-born Edwards took last year’s championship down to the wire.

A charity event set up by the 2003 World Rally Champion Phil Mills has raised a staggering total of £113,400.

It’s only a little over six weeks since Elfyn Evans won the final round of the 2017 FIA World Rally Championship (WRC), but the Wales Rally GB victor has already started his preparations for the 2018 season – with a pre-Rally Monte Carlo test in the south of France.

Wales’ most celebrated rally co-driver, Nicky Grist, says that Elfyn Evans well and truly deserves his place in the M-Sport World Rally Team next year, as the 28-year old Dolgellau driver is confirmed as team-mate to World Champion Sébastien Ogier in the all-conquering Ford Fiesta WRC for the 2018 season.

Elfyn Evans has hailed his incredible season as he celebrated a career best World Rally Championship finish. The Dolgellau-born flier finishing fifth in the season ending Rally Australia – his best result Down Under.