Evans Rues Monte Luck

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.

In the end, losing several minutes on a puncture on Thursday’s opening day proved key for what could have been a podium finish.

Evans and co-driver Daniel Barritt were 16th after that setback but battled their way back in the M-Sport Fiesta WRC car.

“It’s been a tough edition of the rally this year and we had an especially tough start losing so much time on the very first stage,” said the 29-year-old.

“Over the next few days I think we were there or there abouts in terms of outright speed, but overall there were just too many little errors.

“When it came to making the smart choices at the right time, we weren’t quite there and that’s what cost us a really good result today. The comforting thing is that the speed is there, but we still need to be better.”

Evans clocked up two special stage fastest times on Friday and went into today’s final day in sixth spot but could.

He eventually finished just one second off fifth-placed Thierry Neuville in his first outing since being promoted to partner Sebastien Ogier who won the event for a fifth year in a row.

It was the Frenchman’s second victory on the Monte for the Cumbria-based outfit who jointly lead the Manufacturers’ standings thanks to Evans’ comeback.

Team boss Malcolm Wilson said: “Elfyn was unlucky to have lost so much time on Thursday evening, but he fought back strongly and could have challenged for fourth place were the conditions more consistent today.

“Had everything gone to plan, he had the pace to have challenged for the podium this weekend, and he should definitely take encouragement from that.

Evans Sunday Stage performances:

SS14: 6th (+20.3)
SS15: 6th (+6.9)
SS16: 2nd (+1.5)
SS17: 8th (+10.5)

TOP 10 OVERALL

1. Sébastien Ogier / Julien Ingrassia (Ford Fiesta WRC) 4:18:55.5
2. Ott Tänak / Martin Järveoja (Toyota Yaris WRC) +58.3
3. Jari-Matti Latvala / Miikka Anttila (Toyota Yaris WRC) +1:52.0
4. Kris Meeke / Paul Nagle (Citroen DS3 WRC) +4:43.1
5. Thierry Neuville / Nicolas Gilsoul (Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC) +4:53.8
6. Elfyn Evans / Daniel Barritt (Ford Fiesta WRC) +4:54.8
7. Esapekka Lapp / Janne Ferme (Toyota Yaris WRC) +4:57.5
8. Bryan Bouffier / Xavier Panseri (Ford Fiesta WRC) +7:39.5
9. Craig Breen / Scott Martin (Citroen DS3 WRC) +9:06.7
10. Jan Kopecky / Pavel Dresler (Skoda Fabia R5) +16:43.0

DRIVERS’ CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS

1. Sébastien Ogier – 26
2. Ott Tänak – 18
3. Jari-Matti Latvala – 17
4. Kris Meeke – 17
5. Thierry Neuville – 14
6. Elfyn Evans – 8
7. Esapekka Lapp – 6
8. Bryan Bouffier – 4
9. Andreas Mikkelsen – 3
10. Craig Breen – 2

MANUFACTURERS’ CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS

1. M-Sport Ford World Rally Team – 33
2. Toyota Gazoo Racing WRC – 33
3. Citroen Total Abu Dhabi World Rally Team – 18
4. Hyundai Motorsport – 14