WRC – Evans fight for second in Mexico

M-Sport Ford World Rally Team’s Elfyn Evans and Scott Martin are locked in an intense battle for the final podium positions at this weekend’s Rally Mexico – the British pairing currently holding second place with a 2.2 second advantage over former team mate Ott Tänak.

Proving the performance of the EcoBoost-powered Ford Fiesta WRC, Evans has shown speed and consistency throughout the weekend. Regularly posting top stage times, the Welshman has so far had the measure of this notoriously difficult event – only lucking out through the second pass of Otates (SS14) where the grip levels were particularly low.

Geared up for the fight with just over 60 competitive kilometres left to contest, he and Martin are on course to bring home some silverware and are determined to deliver the best possible result.

But the day wasn’t without its dramas and the M-Sport technicians showed their class when discovering some damage to the rear cross member during midday service. With 14 minutes on the clock, they successfully changed it as well as the rear differential – a task which would have taken 25 minutes under normal circumstances!

Rightly applauded by the onlooking crowd, their efforts perfectly demonstrate the teamwork that is such a big part of this sport – a potential podium the result of exceptional work by the whole team: driver, co-driver, engineers and technicians alike.

Team Principal, Richard Millener, said: « It’s been another good day for Elfyn and Scott who have continued to show some impressive pace out there. Locked in a pretty intense battle with Ott, they really showed their ability and had the jump on him throughout most of the day – so it’s a shame that they lost so much through the second pass of Otates [SS14]. But that’s just the way it goes sometimes, and we’ll focus on being faster than him again tomorrow! I also need to praise the efforts of the engineers and mechanics this afternoon. With just 14 minutes left on the clock, they noticed some damage to the rear cross member and set about changing that as well as the rear differential. It’s a job that usually takes about 25 minutes and I have to say that it was pretty impressive watching – getting a well-deserved applause from the crowd when Elfyn pulled out of service on time. Without them, we simply wouldn’t be fighting for a podium tomorrow. »

Elfyn Evans (2nd) said: « It was a pretty good morning for us and a good start to the afternoon, but I was disappointed to have given so much away to Ott [Tänak] on the second pass of Otates [SS14]. I was pushing quite hard, but I just couldn’t get comfortable and didn’t have the feeling to go much faster. The gap isn’t particularly big right now and there’ll be a big fight tomorrow, but if we have a good run I’m confident that we can get the job done. You still have to drive quite smart to be fast here, but at the end of the day we want that second place and we’re going to fight for it. »

OVERALL CLASSIFICATION 1. Sébastien Ogier / Julien Ingrassia (Citroen C3 WRC) 2:57:21.4 2. Elfyn Evans / Scott Martin (Ford Fiesta WRC) +27.0 3. Ott Tänak / Martin Järveoja (Toyota Yaris WRC) +29.2 4. Thierry Neuville / Nicolas Gilsoul (Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC) +1:15.7 5. Kris Meeke / Sebastian Marshall (Toyota Yaris WRC) +4:37.1

FORD FIESTA R5 QUOTES RALLY MEXICO, SECTION FIVE

Łukasz Pieniążek (1st WRC 2 Pro) said: « It was pretty tough after yesterday’s crash, but I was trying to find my confidence and the pace was quite good. The pacenotes weren’t perfect as this is only my first time here, but I don’t think there was too much else that I could improve. We will try to keep going, and keep improving, and the main goal is to make sure we finish the rally tomorrow. »

FURTHER INFORMATION Alberto Heller (WRC 2): Alberto Heller had been holding second place in WRC 2 before damaging the steering of his Ford Fiesta R5 through the second pass of Otates (SS14). The M-Sport mechanics will repair his Fiesta this evening and the Chilean will restart tomorrow. Pedro Heller (WRC 2): Pedro Heller damaged the cooling package of his Ford Fiesta R5 after a heavy landing over a jump on SS16. The M-Sport mechanics will repair his Fiesta this evening and the Chilean will restart tomorrow.

Press release M-Sport Ford

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