Bryan Bouffier with M-Sport Ford at the Monte-Carlo Rally and in Corsica

Bryan Bouffier will be good at the start of Rally Monte-Carlo 2018. The Frenchman, former French champion and former three-time Polish rally champion, will return to one of his favorite events at the wheel of the third Ford Fiesta WRC du M-Sport Ford WRT.

During the presentation of the provisional entry list for the opening round of the 2018 World Rally Championship, three cars did indeed appear under the British banner, but only Sébastien Ogier and Elfyn Evans, full-year starters, had been confirmed.

And given the presence of Eric Camilli and Teemu Suninen in the WRC-2 category, the name of Bryan Bouffier regularly came up among the favorites for this seat.

« My nights are much shorter now that I know I'll be driving one of these amazing cars, and I've already done a lot of miles in the Ford Fiesta WRC in my dreams, says Bouffier.

Honestly, I didn't think I would get the chance to drive this car, not even testing it, so I'm very excited. It's always a pleasure to work with Malcolm Wilson and the M-Sport team, and their incredible success in 2017 makes me very proud to work with them again.

Monte Carlo and Corsica are two very different events, but are among my favorites. These are the two French rounds of the season and it's always a pleasure to race at home, even more so with this new car.

My plan is to be relaxed and have fun. I would also like to score points for the team. That would just be the icing on the cake. »

Bouffier, who will be co-driven by Jérôme Degout, is a regular at the Monte-Carlo Rally, having won there in 2011 in the IRC, with a Peugeot 207 S2000. The Drômois also placed second in 2014 with a Ford Fiesta RS WRC M-Sport, before abandoning the following two years, then finishing 10th last year with a Fiesta R5.

The Tour de Corse (April 5-8) will also complete its program with M-Sport, a rally that Bouffier won in 2013 as part of theERC.

« It's great to have Bryan with us for the Rallye Monte-Carlo and the Tour de Corse, specifies Malcolm Wilson. When it comes to these rallies, it's fair to say that his experience is second to none.

These are two of the most specific rallies on the calendar and conditions and tire choice can so often determine who fares best. With Bryan's experience, we will have another string to our bow to defend our titles. »