Inside Rally

M-Sport is pleased to confirm that Ott Tänak will partner Elfyn Evans next year as the team field one of the FIA World Rally Championship’s (WRC) most exciting young teams.

As two of the WRC’s most gifted youngsters, M-Sport is motivated by the pairing’s potential and look forward to nurturing their talent as they make their mark behind the wheel of the Ford Fiesta RS WRC.

Following what has been one of the championship’s most impressively controlled debuts in a top-specification world rally car, Evans’ continuation with the team has long been known.

The Welshman, who is partnered by fellow Brit Daniel Barritt, secured two career-best fourth place finishes in Mexico and Germany and took his first stage win – the Power Stage no less – on the asphalt roads of Rallye Deutschland.

With a full year of experience under his belt, Evans will be looking to improve his skills further and the team are encouraged by the prospect of additional progress – the 25-year-old aiming to increase his speed and performance on each of the 13 events.

Following Mikko Hirvonen’s retirement, Tänak was the obvious replacement and a clear favourite amongst the media and fans alike.

The Estonian is blisteringly quick and has already built strong relationships with the team. Returning to the world stage with a Fiesta RS WRC in Sweden and Portugal earlier this year, he and co-driver Raigo Mõlder instantly impressed.

After more than a year’s absence from the championship, Tänak proved that he had lost none of his pizzazz – setting fastest times and running as high as second overall at Rally de Portugal. Having combined his speed with a renewed sense of maturity, the 27-year-old will be one to watch as the 2015 season unfolds.
Development on an upgraded version of the Fiesta RS WRC began in earnest in the midst of 2014 and the test team will embark on a comprehensive test schedule before the end of the year. A series of evolutions will be launched throughout the course of the 2015 season.

Elfyn Evans said:

“I’m really looking forward to next year. We’ve had a great first season and gained so much knowledge and experience of the events. There’s going to be a lot of hard work next year – analysing all of the data that we’ve collected from all of the rallies – but I’m confident that we can continue to progress and improve our speed and performance on each event.

“We’re really looking forward to working with Ott [Tänak] and Raigo [Mõlder]. We’ve worked together on a few events this year and we all get on really well. They’ll both fit perfectly into the team dynamics and I’m sure we’ll all be able to work together as we strive towards our respective goals.

“Finally I want to say a huge thanks to Malcolm [Wilson] and the team for their continued support and belief. I’m in the best possible place to progress, and none of this would be possible without every single member of the team.”

Ott Tänak said:

“I’m really happy to have been given another chance. I know it’s going to be a big challenge and a big responsibility, but I’m ready for it and I’m really looking forward to the season ahead.

“We’ll need to find our rhythm in the first few events, but I’ve been working with M-Sport for a long time and I have a lot of mileage with the Fiesta RS WRC so I hope it won’t take too long to get up to speed. We have some good experience of most of the rallies and I think that there are some events where we could do really well.

“I’ve definitely grown as a driver and I want to thank Malcolm [Wilson] for giving me this second chance. We worked really hard this year and I think we proved that we have the potential; but none of that would have been possible without Malcolm and M-Sport, and for that, I am extremely grateful.

“I’ve been overwhelmed by the support we’ve received in recent years. There are so many people out there who have stayed with us on this long journey; I am really humbled by that and truly thankful for their faith in me.”

Team Principal, Malcolm Wilson OBE, said:

“I think it’s fair to say that we will be fielding what is one of the most exciting driver pairings in the FIA World Rally Championship next year. There is no doubting the potential of Elfyn [Evans] and Ott [Tänak] and I’m looking forward to seeing what they can do.

“Both drivers have a full season of world rally car experience and the whole team is motivated by the possibility of some break-through performances. I fully believe that both drivers are capable of challenging for the podium on a number of events and we are all looking forward to what looks set to be another thrilling year of rallying.

“We have some exciting developments for the Fiesta RS WRC on the horizon and we plan to implement these upgrades as the season progresses. The signing of Elfyn and Ott has brought a real enthusiasm to the team and we’re all looking forward to fulfilling their potential next year.”

After a convincing performance on his first full season in the World Rally Championship, Kris Meeke will be driving a DS3 WRC again in 2015. The British driver will continue to compete alongside Irish co-driver Paul Nagle.

Third in the Junior WRC with Citroën in 2005 and winner of the IRC in 2009, Kris Meeke competed in his first rallies with the Citroën Total Abu Dhabi World Rally Team in 2013. This season, the Brit play a major part in Citroën securing second place in the Manufacturers’ World Championship.

In 2015, Kris Meeke and Paul Nagle will therefore be joining forces in a works DS3 WRC.

“When we chose Kris Meeke for this season, we took a bit of a gamble,” recalled Yves Matton, Citroën Racing Team Principal. “But he has improved with pretty much every race and has now become a complete driver. The real turning point was at Rally Finland. He adopted the right approach. He has managed to acquire experience throughout the season. He has shown that he not only has real pace, but that he can be more patient sometimes as well. Kris is a competitive driver on all surfaces, capable of being quick on tarmac and on gravel. This versatility is a real asset for Citroën Racing. The name of the second works driver for 2015 will be announced shortly, once we have finalised the various discussions that are still ongoing.”

Having secured podium finishes on surfaces as different as Monte-Carlo, Argentina, Finland and France, Kris Meeke and Paul Nagle also led rounds in Germany and Australia. With an identical calendar scheduled for next season, the experience they have acquired this year will help them be even more competitive in 2015.

“It’s fantastic to have the opportunity to continue to work together,” commented Kris Meeke. “Since the end of last year, Citroën Racing has given me the chance to prove my worth. This first full season has been spent learning about the WRC. In the second half of the year, I was able to show part of my potential. There’s room for improvement, but I now have some decent foundations to build on next year, in order to keep progressing. With experience, everything becomes that bit easier. I know the team well and we understand each other. I feel like I’m part of the Citroën family!”