BACK in 1994, I was fortunate enough to experience and join in the celebrations as the late Colin McRae partied after winning what was then the RAC Rally, Britain’s counter in the World Rally Championship, so bringing to a close an eighteen-year wait for a home winner – the Scot emulating the feat of Roger Clark in 1976.

In the lead-up to Wales Rally GB (the lite form of the old RAC endurance test), the same questions that were asked in ’94 were again being set, namely, who would be the next British driver to take victory in his local event.

Not since Richard Burns, another sadly no longer with us, sprayed the champagne in 2000, had there been a British winner. Most smart money this weekend would have been on Kris Meeke, the Ulsterman fresh from winning in Spain. Instead, as his challenge struggled for traction – a bit like his Citroen C3 – it was Welshman Elfyn Evans who mounted a concerted attack on the world’s best to eventually triumph.

Evans, at the wheel of his Ford Fiesta WRC and partnered by Daniel Barritt, won by 37.3 seconds from Belgium’s Thierry Neuville, driving a Hyundai i20, and 45.2 seconds ahead of Ford team-mate, 33-year-old French pilot Sebastien Ogier, who in gaining a podium finish, clinched the drivers' world title for a fifth year in succession with still one round remaining in Australia.

It also helped secure the manufacturers' title for the independently run M-Sport team, based in Cumbria.

However, those other successes became but a sideshow as Evans claimed his first WRC victory.

“It's been a good rally,” said Evans, almost understating the significance of the outcome, and the fact that at the end of 2015, he was left without a works drive.

"I'm incredibly grateful to everyone who has stood by me for all these years – to get to this point has taken a lot.

"To all the people who have supported me and backed me, this is for you. This result only makes us even hungrier for more."

It marked another shift in the progress of the 28-year-old former British champion, who had already had his best season to date at this level, finishing runner-up in Argentina and Finland.

Cheered on by a vociferous home support, particularly through the Myherin test where fans congregated on ‘Elfyn’s corner,’ Evans led after the first full day of competition on Friday, building a 24.6-second advantage over his M-Sport colleague Ott Tanak.

Over the particularly wet and muddy stages, Evans was helped greatly by his DMACK tyres. This was in contrast to Meeke, who could see his chances slipping away, although he knew that was a distinct possibility even before the ceremonial start, having done his preparations in the dry forests of south-west France, rather than in the rain-soaked woods of Wales.

Over Saturday’s nine special stages, Evans dominated. He was quickest over the first five tests of the day, setting fastest times over six in total to lead by 53.1 seconds from Ogier overnight, meaning all Evans had to do was bring the car home in one piece for an historic win. Meeke had to make do with seventh.

Afterwards, Rob Jones, chief executive of the Motor Sports Association, said: “The Wales Rally GB 2017 will be remembered as one of the greatest weekends in the modern era of UK rallying.

“As products of the MSA Academy, we’re absolutely delighted for Elfyn and Dan; we never had any doubt that they would reach the pinnacle of the sport and we know just how hard they’ve both worked to get there.

“They’re an inspiration to the next generation of British rally talent.”