By Paul Evans

Meirion Evans says that contesting the full Irish Tarmac Championship this year is “a dream come true” as he prepares for the opening round of the series in his Melvyn Evans Motorsport run Hyundai i20 R5.

The 23-year old Lampeter driver will begin his Irish campaign on next month’s Galway International Rally – and despite more than 25 R5 cars expected on the entry list, Evans will be aiming for a strong start after scoring an excellent podium finish on last year’s Cork 20 International.

Co-driver Jonathan Jackson will return to partner Evans for what will be their sixth season together, with the strong partnership inside the car one of the keys to a strong end to 2018.

Support comes from The Scan Station, UAV, Photogrammetry and terrestrial LiDAR Service specialists, while following successful tests, the car will run on Hankook tyres.

“It’s a dream come true for me to compete in the Irish Tarmac Championship,” said Evans. “I spent my childhood watching my dad compete in Ireland and standing on the sidelines watching the likes of Andrew Nesbitt, Austin McHale and Eugene Donnelly battle it out over the years.

“The podium in Cork last year was a fantastic result for us and our pace over the weekend gave us a lot of promise to take into this season. We completed a solid test just before Christmas and I’m looking forward to getting back behind the wheel.

“Obviously it wouldn’t be possible without my sponsors and supporters. It’s great that The Scan Station is back on board and we’re very pleased to have secured a deal with Hankook. The initial feeling with the tyre was very good and I’ve learnt a lot from the work we’ve done together so far and we will continue to build on that as the year progresses.”