As a new season draws ever closer, Lampeter driver Meirion Evans has signalled his intent to compete in the Irish Tarmac Championship in 2019, supported by Hankook tyres and The Scan Station, following a run of strong results on the Emerald isle in 2018.
Following his first Irish Tarmac Championship podium on the Cork 20 Rally in the Hyundai i20 R5, Meirion will return to the Irish stages with the Melvyn Evans Motorsport run machine for what is hoped to be a full ITRC campaign, beginning with the Galway International Rally on the 10th of February; the tricky and technical stages the traditional season opener for Ireland’s premier Championship.
Co-driver Jonathan Jackson will return alongside Meirion for what will be their sixth season together, the strong partnership inside the car one of the keys to a strong ending in 2018. The pair are delighted to retain the backing of The Scan Station for 2019, the Cheshire based Survey, UAV, Photogrammetry and terrestrial LiDAR Service specialists providing valued backing as Meirion and Jonathan take on their first ITRC campaign.
The team are pleased to welcome Hankook into the fold for 2019, the Korean tyre company coming onboard following a number of successful development test sessions over the Winter, with both the R2 and R5 specification of tyres. Ahead of the new season, the team is confident that thanks to the strong support of Hankook in Korea, the i20 R5 on Hankook tyres will be a strong overall package.
The Irish Tarmac Championship is one that is steeped in history – the names Fisher, McKinstry, McHale, Meagher and Nesbitt adorning the coveted Championship trophy. After the opening round in Galway, the Championship heads to Clonakilty for the West Cork Rally – this year a round of both the Irish and British Championships. Following the head-to-head, the Irish crews head North for the UAC Easter Stages, held in place of the world-renowned Circuit of Ireland rally before heading back South-West for the Killarney Rally of the Lakes and the famous Molls Gap. June will see the pair head to the hills of Donegal for the big one – the Donegal International Rally, Ireland’s only three-day International event. The Ulster Rally, again a head-to-head with the British Championship crews, and the Cork 20 International round out the season;
“It’s a dream come true for me to compete in this championship. I spent my childhood watching my dad compete in Ireland and standing on the sidelines watching the likes of Andrew Nesbitt, Austin McHale and Eugene Donnelly battle it out over the years. The podium in Cork was a fantastic result for us and our pace over the weekend gave us a lot of promise to take into this season. We completed a solid test just before Christmas and I’m looking forward to getting back behind the wheel.
Obviously it wouldn’t be possible without my sponsors and supporters, it’s great that The Scan Station are back on board and we’re very pleased to have secured a deal with Hankook. The initial feeling with the tyre was very good and I’ve learnt a lot from the work we’ve done together so far and we will continue to build on that as the year progresses.”
The 2019 Irish Tarmac Championship is set to be one of the most hotly contested for a number of years, with more than a dozen R5 category machines heading the entry list in Galway. Keep up to date with all the news via Meirion’s website – www.meirionevans.com or on Facebook, searching for ‘Meirion Evans-Rally Driver’.
Images : Barronrallypix
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