And in Sardinia, Jarmo Lehtinen returned to the team – calling the notes for Suninen and giving the young Finn the confidence and consistency to secure a career-best second place; just 13.7 seconds shy of victory.
The team were put on the back foot when lead-driver Evans was ruled out of three events with a back injury mid-season, but the Welshman came back with a point to prove. Setting sensational pace on home soil in Wales, an early mistake stopped him challenging for the win but seven fastest times proved the Fiesta was still capable of victory.
Other highlights included debut wins for Greensmith and Pedro Heller in the WRC 2 Pro and WRC 2 categories, and the launch of the all-new EcoBoost-powered Ford Fiesta R5 MkII – which Greensmith steered to a dramatic victory in Turkey.
The Cumbrian squad were the unquestionable underdogs going into this year’s championship, but their passionate support of young talent continued to deliver and inspire throughout the field.
Team Principal, Richard Millener, said:
“Firstly, I want to thank Malcolm for giving me the opportunity to lead the team this year. It’s something I was really keen to do, and I consider it a big mark of respect that he thought I was up to the job – hopefully I did okay and he lets me continue next year!
“We might not have got the win we were hoping for, but we came pretty close and I think the whole team can be really proud of the job we did this season. We outperformed a lot of people’s expectations, and made a clear statement that we weren’t just there to make up the numbers.
“We challenged for wins, set stage-winning pace on all surfaces and helped progress the careers of a lot of young drivers – something M-Sport has always been very passionate about. The hope now is that we can continue where we left off this year – so watch this space!”
Managing Director, Malcolm Wilson OBE, said:
“M-Sport has always been a place where young talent can thrive, and I’m proud that the company is able to offer that across the board – not just behind the wheel, but also making key decisions as part of our management and engineering teams.
“Elfyn did a good job leading the team for the first time and came extremely close to the win in Corsica. It was a shame to see him miss some events mid-season, but he came back fighting – proving the pace of the Fiesta and the development that had been carried out by the engineers over the summer break.
“We also saw Teemu take another step in his first full season at the highest level. He showcased some really impressive speed and led an event for the first time in his career. And when Jarmo joined the squad, his experience helped Teemu develop a consistency that was rewarded with a career-best second place in Sardinia.
“Plans for next year are progressing, and I’m excited to see what we can deliver. We’re not quite ready to announce our plans just yet, but I can say that we’ll be sticking to our core philosophy of supporting up-and-coming young talent.”
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