Wilson eyes full season for Evans

M-Sport boss Malcolm Wilson would like to see Elfyn Evans tackle all 13 rounds of next season’s FIA World Rally Championship.

Wilson’s ideal career path for the Welshman would dovetail a second WRC 2 campaign in a Ford Fiesta R5 with outings in a Fiesta RS World Rally Car – but Wilson admitted his plans were dependent on budget.

“I think it’s really too early to put him straight into a WRC car,” said Wilson. “He did a good job in Sardinia, when he replaced Nasser Al-Attiyah at the last minute in a WRC and finished sixth, and he has done a really good job in a Fiesta R5 this year.

“But I think Elfyn is at the point in his career where I would like to try and find a way for him to do all the events next year, maybe a combination of the WRC 2 championship along with some outings in a WRC car. That’s my target for him, but whether we get there or not in terms of budget, I don’t know,” he added.

Evans won the FIA WRC Academy in 2012 and has worked at M-Sport’s Dovenby Hall base this season as the prize for winning last year’s Fiesta SportTrophy International Shootout.

Testing and shaking down the team’s Qatar-liveried Fiesta RS WRCs before they leave for rallies has supplemented his WRC 2 campaign, in which he has finished second on his last two outings in Germany and France.

Wilson would like to extend Evans’ role at the team’s base.

“From what I have seen, he definitely has the potential to get up there and challenge for victories. If we can find a programme then the best place for him is to be based at M-Sport. He has had an incredible amount of seat time, be it shakedowns or tests.

“It would be invaluable for him to stay for another 12 months to get that amount of seat time again. If he doesn’t get a programme, then I would imagine his dad would want him back to work in his garage!” added Wilson.