With the announcement that M-Sport will be debuting their new Ford Fiesta RS WRC on the Vodafone Rally de Portugal, round five of the FIA World Rally Championship, the team’s drivers Elfyn Evans and Ott Tanak are relishing taking the wheel competitively in the new car.
Evans comes into Portugal on the back of securing his first podium finish in Argentina and the Welshman will be hoping to build on that success on Rally Portugal.
“The team have put a lot of effort into this car and it’s certainly a step forward.” said the Welshman, “The testing has all been really positive and we’ve covered a lot of miles which we’ll be hoping pays off. I feel really comfortable in the car. We’ve done a lot of work on the set-up and that should give us a good base going into the first event.”
Ott Tanak has had a tougher season than his teammate. The Estonian has only one top ten finish from the first four rounds as well as a spectacular crash on Rally Mexico. Tanak will be hoping the new car can bring him better fortune.
“I’m looking forward to this event. ” said the Estonian, “I really like Portugal and I especially liked the Fafe Rally Sprint so I’m approaching next week in a positive and confident mood. It’s a clean sheet as a new rally with a new car gives us the opportunity to put our bad luck behind us.”
M-Sport currently sit in fourth place in the WRC Manufacturers Championship 32 points behind leaders Volkswagen Motorsport.
