DANIEL Barritt and Elfyn Evans will be hoping to bounce back from their Portuguese misery when they take part in the Rally Italia Sardegna.

Barrowford co-driver Barritt and Welsh driver Evans were in good shape in their last appearance in the World Rally Championship in the Rally de Portugal last month until the suspension on their new Fiesta RS WRC was damaged on stage eight.

M-Sport team-mates Ott Tanak and Raigo Molder were also in a new Fiesta RS WRC in Portugal and took fifth place, so Evans and Barritt are encouraged by the potential in the vehicle.

Evans is relishing taking part in Italy and said: “It’s a difficult rally, but one that I really enjoy so I’m looking forward to getting back out there.

“It’s a real challenge for driver and car alike, but the team made a great debut with the new car in Portugal so there’s certainly potential for a strong result.

“Road position should play a big role. Last year we saw the results table turned out its head at the end of the first day, and we will run in championship order for two days this year so that will be interesting.

“We’re in the middle of the pack so it’s not a bad position, but there’ll still be those with a greater advantage.

“Tyre preservation and strategy will also be key.

“The second pass will be extremely hard on the tyres with high temperatures and a very abrasive surface.

“It will be exciting to see how all of these factors play out.

“Our aim is just to go out and enjoy the rally. We’ve not set any specific targets, we just want to enjoy the rally and find a good rhythm for the events to come.

“If we can do that with a clean run and no mistakes, the weekend could yield a good result.”