Evans hopeful for 2016 seat

Elfyn Evans believes he achieved enough in the 2015 WRC season to retain his seat at M-Sport next year.

Evans ended the campaign with sixth at Wales Rally GB last weekend. While he acknowledged his performances in the early part of the year were better than those later on, he was encouraged by his performance at his home event.

“We made a good step forward this weekend so the potential is there. We’ve learned a lot during the course of this year and it would be a shame not to put all that learning into use next year. I think I have done enough,” the Welshman told wrc.com.

Evans scored almost half his 2015 points in the opening four rounds in a 2014-specification Ford Fiesta RS, after which he was fourth in the drivers’ points. But he struggled to get to grips with the 2015 car that was introduced in Portugal in May, despite taking a career-best second at Tour de Corse - Rallye de France.

“It hasn’t been what we wanted from the year. Things were going really, really well until we had the new car and obviously there were some things there that I did not quite fall into one with the car again. It’s taken until now to feel 100 per cent comfortable on gravel again,” he added.

A first day puncture denied Evans a potential top four in Wales. “I think it was quite a strong result but it was a shame about the puncture on Friday otherwise it would have been a comfortable fourth. But we all know rallying is a game of ifs and buts, so a lot of people can say that,” he said.