It’s always nice when one of your father’s old work colleagues recognizes that you – the chip off the old block – have made great strides on your own. It’s even better when that old work colleague thinks you might outshine the old man.
And it’s even, even better when your old man’s former work mate is two-time World Rally Champion Carlos Sainz.
“I have been watching this year, you know that I will always keep an eye on things,” Sainz told DirtFish.
“I think Elfyn is doing a fantastic season in what is a very difficult year. I know Elfyn to say hello to, but I know Gwyndaf [Evans], we were team-mates together at Ford.
“For me, if Elfyn wins this championship then he is the champion and that’s the end. If you are the winner, you have the most points and you are the champion.”
Sainz admitted he did have his doubts about Monza as the venue for a world championship finale.
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“We have seen the Monza Rally [Shows] from the past and I hope this week is not too much like that,” said Sainz. “For me, that’s not rallying.”
There’s further support for Evans from his former M-Sport team-mate Teemu Suninen and his fellow Finn Esapekka Lappi.
“I would put my money for Elfyn, but it’s not going to be easy for him,” Suninen said.
“Conditions here in Monza are quite tricky and first time we are having this type of rally so there is a lot of question marks but, yeah, Elfyn’s lead is quite strong. Hopefully he can keep his head cool and make his best results.”
Lappi added that it would be nice to see a new name on the trophy.
“Elfyn has had a strong season, so I think he deserves it and always, when our sports gets a new champion, it’s good for our sport.”
