Evans Aims For Strong WRC Result In Germany

By Paul Evans

There is no doubting his exceptional speed and ability, but Elfyn Evans knows that he needs to pull a good result out of the bag on this weekend’s Rally Germany.

The 29-year old recorded his maiden World Rally Championship stage win in Germany in 2014 and went on to finish fourth overall, so history suggests that a rewarding weekend could be on the horizon.

But with only one WRC podium finish to shout about so far in 2018, Evans is currently eighth in the drivers’ standings. It’s not where he wants to be, and whilst throwing caution to the wind is never a good idea in rallying, an immediate change of fortune would be extremely timely.

Rally Germany is, however, one of the trickiest asphalt rallies of the season, with slippery stages through the twisty Mosel vineyards and super-fast tests in the Baumholder military camp. Evans and co-driver Daniel Barritt will be at least hoping to avoid punctures and mechanical problems with their EcoBoost-powered Ford Fiesta WRC to have any chance of bringing home some silverware.

“Rallye Deutschland is a pretty challenging event, but I think that’s one of the reasons why I enjoy it so much,” says Evans. “The stage characteristics and conditions are constantly changing, and you’ve really got to be on the ball.

“It’s all about finding the right rhythm and set-up for each of the different challenges; as well as staying fully focused as this is one of those events where second chances are few and far between!

“The weather can also play a crucial part and a wet rally would make things pretty interesting. But let’s see what gets thrown at us. The Fiesta felt really good last time out on Tarmac, and we’ll be aiming for a strong result.”

The town of St. Wendel takes centre stage for the start and finish ceremonies and an all-new super special stage opens the action on Thursday evening. Friday heads into the vineyards for two identical loops of three stages, while Saturday’s route makes up nearly 50% of the entire stage distance and takes crews into the feared military camp of Baumholder where avoiding the massive hinkelstein kerbs, which are designed to keep tanks on the road, adds to the challenge. The day also includes two runs through the longest stage of the event, Panzerplatte. Sunday is back to the scenic roads in the Mosel vineyards for three stages, one of which is repeated. The final Power Stage takes the crews to Bosenberg, which has also not been run since 2015, followed by the podium and prizegiving back in St. Wendel.