Evans to join WRC race in Estonia promotional rally
Credit to Author: The Manila Times| Date: Sat, 08 Jun 2019 16:16:04 +0000
Elfyn Evans would be joining Andreas Mikkelsen and Esapekka Lappi for next month’s World Rally Championship (WRC) promotional event at the Shell Helix Rally set for July 12 to 14 in Estonia.
The Shell Helix Rally Estonia is not yet part of the official WRC roster of races and participation is optional for the regular competitors of the rally series.
The Welshman, who lies fourth in the WRC drivers’ standings after finishing fifth in Portugal last weekend, and co-driver Scott Martin would drive their regular Ford Fiesta World Rally Car at the three-day race weekend at Estonia.
Martin finished third on the rally last year alongside Craig Breen and the pair would use the fast dirt road event at Estonia to warm up for the following WRC round on similarly high-speed tracks at Neste Rally scheduled on August 1 to 4 in Finland.
“I’m pretty excited to be driving at this year’s Rally Estonia. I’ve never competed here before, but I’ve heard so many good things about the rally and I can’t wait to experience it for myself,” said Evans.
“The Estonian stages won’t be completely new to me though. We tested in Estonia back in 2017 and I can confirm the roads there are fairly impressive. They’re so fast, and this will be the perfect way for us to get up to speed before heading to our pre-event test in Finland,” he added.
The Tartu-based rally in Estonia features nine speed tests covering almost 92 kilometers on Saturday’s opening leg, followed by six more stages on Sunday, totaling a fraction over 60 kilometers
M-Sport Ford Team principal Rich Millener said the British squad was excited to compete in Estonia for the first time.
“We know how passionate the Estonian fans are and with WRC manufacturers sending a top-level car and crew, the atmosphere is going to be incredible,” he added.
Evans is the reigning British champion who returned to the main WRC field in a DMACK World Rally Team Fiesta WRC in 2017 after being dropped from the team’s line-up in 2016. He made an impression in 2017 by claiming his first win on home ground in Great Britain.
Evans regained his place in the M-Sport Ford squad in 2018 and has been paired with co-driver Martin for this year’s WRC season. THE TIMES
The post Evans to join WRC race in Estonia promotional rally appeared first on The Manila Times Online.