By Paul Evans
Elfyn Evans says that he will be pushing hard for a top result on this weekend’s Rally Portugal – and he needs to if he wants to be world champion this year, as whilst he’s fifth in drivers’ points table, the top three are pulling away.
As the 2019 FIA World Rally Championship reaches its halfway point, Evans, the topped-placed M-Sport Ford driver, has scored 55 points, one less than fourth-placed Kris Meeke (Toyota).
That sounds pretty impressive until you see that series leader Sébastien Ogier (Citroen) has 122 points, second-placed Ott Tänak (Toyota) sits on 112 points and third-placed Thierry Neuville (Hyundai) has amassed 110 points already. And the top three have each won two rallies apiece.
After two rallies in South America, the WRC now embarks on its European summer tour on a gravel rally that everyone knows very well. Evans has done Rally Portugal seven times, finishing a career best second last year – which was the only bit of silver lining on a disappointing season.
Together with new co-driver Scott Martin, 2019 has been a lot more successful – with a third in Mexico and a third in Corsica, the latter of which should have been a win, had it not been for a puncture on the very last stage. Had Evans not crashed his Fiesta WRC in Monte Carlo and Argentina, he’d be a lot closer to the top three of course – although best of the rest isn’t what the Dolgellau ace has dedicated his career to achieving.
All rounds of the WRC are important, but no more so than the round which kicks off the second half of the season. Not just for 2019 championship points either, as the performance in Portugal begins to determine what driver will drive for which team in 2020.
“Rally Portugal is one of the classics,” says Evans. “Most of the drivers have a lot of experience here, and everyone will be pushing for the top results – ourselves included. The Portuguese fans have a real passion for their motorsport, and everyone wants to do well in front of this crowd.
“We’ve always had pretty good speed here, and the whole team have been working hard to ensure that continues. We completed a day and a half of testing last week, and everything feels good. The competition is so close at the moment, but if it all comes together I see no reason why we can’t challenge for another strong result.”
Rally Portugal gets underway later tonight with a ceremonial start in the riverfront city of Coimbra. The action begins tomorrow, with three stages in the Arganil region, each run twice, followed by a super special at the Lousada rallycross circuit. Saturday covers over half of the competitive stage distance for the entire rally, with three challenging stages – Vieira do Minho (12.75 miles), Cabeceiras de Basto (13.8 miles) and Amarante (23.36 miles), which will all be run twice. Sunday’s final leg includes the signature Fafe stage with its famous jump.