Elfyn Evans reckons he stunned a few people with his sixth place finish on the Monte Carlo Rally.

The Dolgellau-born flier was making his World Rally Championship return after a season in WRC2 and showed he had not lost his pace.

Evans set three fastest times on Saturday’s five special stages after spending time getting used to his DMACK M-Sport Fiesta RS car.

He and co-driver Daniel Barritt gave DMACK it’s best finish in the season opener and the first ever stage victory on tarmac for the tyre company.

The 28-year-old said: “It’s a fantastic start to the season for us.

“We didn’t have a great day on Friday but Saturday’s performance more than made up for that and really raised some eyebrows.

“I was very happy with my driving and the feeling with the car and tyres was really positive.

“It was easy to work with Daniel again, everything gelled together right from the start.”

Evans scored DMACK’s first fastest time on stage 10 in the Alps.

Then he stormed through stage 12 to finish 7.4 seconds ahead of his nearest rival – team-mate, four-time world champion and eventual rally winner Sebastien Ogier.

And on stage 13, a flat-out blast on clean, dry asphalt roads, Evans blitzed the pack again to dominate the day.

Dick Cormack, DMACK managing director, said: “Elfyn has driven exceptionally well all weekend and huge congratulations are due to M-Sport for winning on the debut of their new Fiesta.

“Last season saw our gravel products challenge for WRC victories and this year has started exceptionally well for our Tarmac tyres.
“We have to be pleased with the result on what has been some of the toughest Monte conditions for a few years, it’s a big step forward for us.”