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Elfyn: No Answer To The Guys At The Front Today

Elfyn: No Answer To The Guys At The Front Today

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.

By Paul Evans

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.

Evans ended the day 1min 09.2secs behind leaders Thierry Neuville/Nicolas Gilsoul (Hyundai). Less than four seconds separates second, third and fourth places – 2nd Dani Sordo/Carlos del Barrio, Hyundai; 3rd Ott Tänak/Martin Järveoja, Toyota and 4th Sébastien Loeb/Daniel Elena (Hyundai) – while Jari-Matti Latala/Miikka Anttila (Toyota) are fifth, 22.4secs ahead of the Welshman.

“We’ve been trying hard all day but just weren’t able to find the pace as the day wore on,” admitted Evans. “In terms of the balance of the car, the feeling was improving all the time but it just didn’t seem to affect the times at the end of the stage. It was always two or three seconds here and there, and that’s what makes the difference. Unfortunately, we just haven’t had an answer to the guys at the front today.”

Sunday’s final leg consists of just four stages, with two runs over the Riudecanyes and La Mussara stages, separated by service in Salou, with the second pass of the latter test hosting the bonus points-scoring Power Stage.