By Paul Evans

Elfyn Evans says that next week’s Wales Rally GB (3-6 October) is the “highlight of my year, every year” as the Dolgellau ace prepares to return to the FIA World Rally Championship after an injury-induced lay-off.

Evans, who won the event in 2017, was having a good season in the M-Sport Ford Fiesta WRC. Only a puncture on the final stage of the Tour of Corsica robbed him of a second career WRC victory and he had been fourth in the drivers’ standings – which was the best of the rest behind the three-way fight for the title between Ott Tänak (Toyota), Sébastien Ogier (Citroen) and Thierry Neuville (Hyundai).

But Evans hurt his back on a heavy landing on the non-championship Rally Estonia in July, and he’s been out of the WRC ever since. However, a recent full day’s testing in Wales went well, and he and co-driver Scott Martin are keen to resume where their WRC season left off three rounds ago.

“I’m really looking forward to getting back behind the wheel – especially as it’s on home soil in Wales,” says Evans. “This event is the highlight of my year, every year, and when you get it right in front of all those Welsh flags it’s an incredible feeling.

“We have some of the best stages in the world in Wales, and it’s a proper challenge for the crews – especially if the Welsh weather has anything to say about it which I think it probably will next week. In those tricky conditions the grip levels are constantly changing and you have to be able to read the road if you want to push for the top results.

“We might have been away for a few months, but my motivation is as high as it ever was. We’ve had a good test, and I feel like we’re well prepared for the challenges ahead. And the goal, as always, is to push for the top results.”