Volkswagen's Sebastien Ogier capped a dominant championship winning campaign with his ninth victory of the season on Wales Rally GB. But while it was a French/German partnership that triumphed, the results of the rally had much to provide cheer to the home fans.
British rallying has struggled since the glory days when Colin McRae and Richard Burns scrapped for rally wins and titles. In fact, a British driver has not won a WRC event since McRae's last win on the Safari Rally in 2002. In truth, there hasn't been a driver who has come close since.
On current form, that drought should come to an end in the near future. Rapid Northern Irishman Kris Meeke, who wasn't on Rally GB this week, has had outings in a works Citroen DS3 WRC this year and remains in contention for a 2014 drive. And the results of Rally GB suggest other British drivers may well follow him.
Chief among those was Elfyn Evans. The young Welshman secured his first victory in the second-tier WRC2 category with an assured drive on stages that he knows well. Evans drives for the M-Sport team, which used to run the works Ford team and now fields privateer Fiesta WRCs. He has hugely impressed team chief Malcolm Wilson with his driving, temperament and car development skills, and there seems a possibility of a part-campaign in a World Rally Car for next year.
Another Briton, Tom Cave, also turned heads with his speed in the WRC2 division. A big time penalty for taking too long in service changing a gearbox ruined his chances of a top overall result, but he set a string of fastest stage times against some proven drivers.
Welshman Osian Pryce was one of the stars of this year's British Rally Championship, winning three of the six events in his two-wheel-drive Citroen DS3 R3. He used that machine this weekend to gauge himself against some of the world's best rising stars in the WRC3 division. He also lost his chances of victory with mechanical issues, but also returned to the event to set a string of fastest class times against older, more experienced rivals. He has properly put himself on the radar.
Of course, there's no guarantee that Evans, Cave, Pryce or any of a handful of promising other British drivers will make it to the top in rallying. There are few paid seats at the top level of the WRC, and it takes an awful lot of cash and a bit of luck for a driver to work their way through the ranks.
Getting a British driver back in a works World Rally Car would be a huge step for the sport in this country. The amazing fan support in north Wales this weekend has proven the passion for rallying in the UK, but the wider national press is only going to provide extra coverage if there is a British driver or two to latch onto.
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