LAMPETER’s Meirion Evans overcame a catalogue of misfortune throughout Rallye Vosges Grand-Est, in France, to bag his first points in the ultra competitive Peugeot 208 Cup, taking seventh in the standings.

With the previously billed gravel event in Diois being replaced by the tarmac event in the Vosges region, Evans was keen to make his mark on the Cup leaderboard on stages resembling those he had previously competed on in the UK and Ireland.

From the very first stage, however, Evans and co-driver Jonathan Jackson realised the event would be a ‘character building’ one.

After catching a slower car on the opening stage, the door catch broke on their Peugeot 208 R2 ahead of the longest stage of the rally - the 28km Pays d’Ormont test, which was last used on the World Rally Championship event in France in 2014.

With the door refusing to stay closed, Evans had to hold the door closed for the entire stage, driving and changing gear with one hand and losing more than two minutes to their nearest rivals - ending hope of fighting at the top as a result.

With the brakes fading mid way through, the repeat run of the long 28km stage and the Melvyn Evans Motorsport-backed crew being slowed down for a second incident on the penultimate stage of the day, the pair would arrive back to Parc Ferme in Gerardmer well inside the top 10, but frustrated at the day’s events.

The second leg of the event would dawn in stark contrast to the end of leg one as regular thunderstorms made way for bright sunshine and, with a new day and more challenging stages ahead of them, the pair relished opportunities ahead.

Lightening would strike twice, however, as catching a car on the opening test, they dropped time to their nearest rival in their quest to move up the leaderboard.

The second stage of the day was cancelled following an incident involving another competitor, with an incorrect nominal time robbing the 22 year old of vital time to his nearest rival.

With two stages to go, Evans and co-driver Jackson are in seventh overall pafter a problematic 10 stages.

Remarkably, the run of misfortune wasn’t to end there as an impact with a rock on the racing line resulted in an immediate puncture, and the duo having to stop and change the offending wheel, dropping them nearly three minutes.

Despite an incredible run of frustrating events over the course of the rally, Evans was relieved to reach the finish on the side of Gerardmer Lake seventh in the points table, having recorded his first points of the season in such a competitive series.

“This event has to be the most frustrating of my career to date,” said Evans.

“The only mistake I made myself all weekend was a spin, and that was partly because I was worried that the door was going to open!

“The pace felt good, but there was always something there to hold us back. The weather made the first day challenging, but considering the issues we faced we knew we could be around the top six or seven if we had a clear run, but it never happened.

“With the puncture on the penultimate stage, then some strange noises coming from the car on the last stage, we finally admitted defeat and got it home!

“All things considered, seventh is a good result, but it would have been nice to have had the chance to show what we could do properly, and hopefully our luck will change on the next round.”

Next on the 208 R2 Cup Calendar is Rallye du Rouergue in Rodez in July.