Lampeter driver Meirion Evans took a break from his busy schedule in France to make the switch to more powerful R5 machinery at the recent Corbeau Seats Rally Tendring and Clacton.
The event, based in Clacton-on-Sea was a landmark one for Rallying in the UK – being the first Closed Road event in England, since a change in legislation in late 2017. More than 6000 fans, the majority of whom were new to the sport, lined the stages – and road sections – throughout the day, showing incredible support to the 120 crews who started the day. The 45-mile event proved to be an ideal platform for Evans to make his debut in the Melvyn Evans Motorsport Ford Fiesta R5, the short sharp stages allowing the 22-year-old driver to become acquainted with such a capable machine.
The pair were delighted to welcome a new sponsor into the team for this event in the form of The Scan Station. A brand new name into Rallying and Sports sponsorship as a whole, The Scan Station branding created an eye catching livery on the Fiesta, much to the delight of the company directors who got their first taste of state of the art Rally machinery ahead of the event.
Evans and co-driver Jonathan Jackson, who together are competing in the ultra competitive Peugeot 208 R2 Cup in France this season, quickly settled down into the four wheel drive machine lying in a highly creditable sixth overall after the opening loop of five stages.
Over the next loop of stages, Evans would continue to establish himself as a top 5 contender, never more than 2 seconds shy of his immediate competitors – and often faster – the pair would find themselves just 8 seconds away of the top 5 after 10 special stages.
However, just two miles from the end of the rally, the crankshaft pulley damper would break, leaving the pair with no option but to retire the car – a bitter blow after such a strong debut in the car and their first outing in a four wheel drive car for more than 18 months;
“Obviously it was a disappointing ending to this event, but surprisingly I’m not overly disappointed. Considering I hadn’t driven a 4 wheel drive car In anger since the end of 2016, I think we can be very pleased with what we achieved. We didn’t even test the car before the rally, so stage 1 was my first drive of the car in anger. We were both sensible in our approach and made every mile count, I knew the car would be good but it just takes time to get your head around the immense capabilities of a modern day R5 car. We used the first loop to just get a feeling and then as the rally progressed we would increase the pace accordingly taking no risks. By the last loop I was really starting to feel more comfortable in the car. There are still some things that need to be adjusted in terms of my driving style but that will come with miles.
Overall the pace was pleasing by the end, I just wish we could have done another rally in it the day after! I have to thank the guys at The Scan Station for their support in getting us to this event. While our focus now turns back to the 208 cup, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want another outing or two in an R5 before the year is out but for now, there’s nothing in stone.”
Evans and Jackson would like to extend their thanks to The Scan Station for their support for this historic event and to West Wales Rally Spares and Melvyn Evans Motorsport for their continued support. The next event for the pair is Rallye d’Antibes in May, the next round of the Peugeot 208 Cup, which takes in the grueling special stages often found in Rallye Monte Carlo.
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