WRC – M-Sport confirms Evans and Tänak in 2015

Ott Tänak sera de retour avec M-Sport en 2015. Après une première saison disputée avec la structure britannique en 2012, l’Estonien a rétrogradé en WRC2 avant de revenir dans la première catégorie. Le pilote nordique n’a terminé qu’à la 15e place du Championnat mais s’est néanmoins distingué au Rally of Sweden by securing a top five. Tänak will replace Mikko Hirvonen who is retiring at the end of the year.

“I’m very happy to have another chance.”, commented the new recruit. “I know the challenge and responsibilities will be great but I am ready. We will have to find our rhythm in the first events, but I have been working with M-Sport for a long time and I have a lot of driving experience on the Ford Fiesta RS WRC, so I hope it won't take too long. We have quite a bit of experience on certain rallies and we could achieve good results in certain events. I have evolved as a driver and I thank Malcolm (Wilson, M-Sport director) for giving me another chance. We worked hard this year and I think we proved we had the potential, but nothing would have been possible without them. »

Elfyn Evans has also been confirmed, which is no surprise since M-Sport had indicated that his commitment was valid for several seasons. The Welshman took 8th place in the Championship, finishing just off the podium twice, in Mexico and in Germany. “We had a good first season, gaining a lot of experience. There will be a lot of work next year to analyze all the data collected. But I am sure that we will be able to progress and improve our performances in each event. We have already worked with Ott (Tänak) and Raigo Mölder (his co-driver) on several rallies and it worked very well. »

On the other hand, the M-Sport press release does not mention Robert Kubica whose future remains uncertain. “We have one of the most attractive crews for next year,” Malcolm Wilson simply commented. “Both drivers had a very useful full season for the experience. I am confident that the two will be able to fight for the podium in several events. There are some exciting developments for the Fiesta RS WRC that we plan to implement as the season progresses. This confirmation brings real enthusiasm to the team. »