EVANS: IRELAND WOULD ADD SOMETHING NEW TO THE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
Factory Toyota Yaris WRC man says he enjoys the challenge of the Emerald Isle
Plans for a World Rally Championship round in
Northern Ireland have received a boost from an unlikely source: Welshman Elfyn Evans.
As Motorsport News revealed earlier this month, funding-led discussions are continuing regarding a Rally GB away from Wales. And Evans believes a Rally
GB in Northern Ireland would “add something new to the championship”, although he’s keen that it’s not instead of a round in his homeland.
Speaking during a Wales Rally GB Facebook Live last week, Evans, who has competed on both sides of the
Irish border in the past, said: “I’ve always enjoyed going back to Ireland to compete. The question has come up if I would be happy to see a round back in
Ireland, and of course I would be. I don’t really want it being at the expense of [Wales’s] Rally GB, being honest because it’s obviously my home event.”
An event rotation plan is one option on the table to bring world championship rallying back to Northern Ireland for the first time since 2009 for what would be an asphalt-only event.
“We have too few Tarmac events in the calendar, quite a lot of gravel that’s very similar,” said Evans. “So a rally in Ireland would add something new to the championship and I would like to see that happen.”
Northern Ireland’s bid has also been supported by its former Secretary of State, Julian Smith, who earlier this month told a meeting of the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee that it should back a WRC push.