Evans rates performance to win Rally Finland his best yet in WRC
Elfyn Evans believes his overall performance to win Rally Finland ranks as “probably the highest” of his World Rally Championship career to date.
The Toyota driver produced a faultless display to fend off a strong challenge from the Hyundai pair of Ott Tanak and Craig Breen to win the event, reigniting his championship hopes in the process.
Evans’ triumph at Rally Finland’s 70th anniversary event ensured he is only the second Briton to win one of rallying’s most prestigious events, following in the footsteps of Kris Meeke in 2016.
The Welshman racked up 10 wins from the 19 stages, including the Power Stage, and was able to push on Finland’s high-speed gravel roads to the absolute limit to see off two-time winner Tanak to the tune of 14.1s.
Reflecting on his fifth career WRC win, Evans felt it was his best ever performance in the championship.
“It is probably pretty high,” said Evans, when asked where the victory ranks in his career to date. “I think it is always difficult to beat the first win at home in Wales, but in terms of performance this probably ranks the highest to be fair.
“I perhaps wasn’t that confident coming into it to be honest but we found good feeling with the car quite early on, and we improved that again for Saturday, and we took it from there really.
“Four stage wins on Saturday morning really went towards the win but from there on it was about trying to fend Ott and Craig off as they were charging pretty hard. I’m happy we managed to do it.”
Elfyn Evans, Scott Martin, Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT Toyota Yaris WRC
Photo by: Toyota Racing
The victory coupled by a subdued performance for championship leader and Toyota teammate Sebastien Ogier, who finished fifth, has moved Evans to within 24 points of the Frenchman with two events remaining.
While acknowledging Ogier’s advantage has been slashed, Evans remains coy on his title chances but admits they are now more realistic.
“It [the title race] has definitely moved in the right direction but it is still a long, long way away,” he added.
“We knew it was a very remote chance after Greece and still it is not much better of a chance now still but it is moving in the right direction.
“At the end of the day we have to go to the next two events left on the calendar and give it our best shot and get the best results we can. That is all we can do.
“It is perhaps slightly more realistic as it will only take Seb to have a retirement and it would be all open. I can’t wish that and all we can worry about is our performance on the next two rallies.”
The WRC heads to Spain for the penultimate round of the championship from 14-17 October.
Related video
Finland WRC: Evans boosts title hopes with famous victory
Toyota boss explains Rovanpera’s Finland WRC Power Stage absence
Holden race cars sell at auction
Scott Pye's Albert Park-winning Commodore was one of a number of significant Holdens to go under the hammer over the weekend.
Reborn TGM Super Formula team announces two-car 2023 entry
The former Team Goh outfit has been relaunched as 'TGM Grand Prix' ahead of the 2023 Super Formula season.
Ellis to replace injured Auer for Bathurst 12 Hour
Philip Ellis will make his Bathurst 12 Hour debut this week as a stand-in for the injured Lucas Auer.
Despite heroic comeback, Corvette missing speed at Daytona
Corvette Racing came from two laps down to finish second in class at the Rolex 24 Hours but lost out in the final shootout to a quicker Mercedes.
How fired-up Ogier became the WRC's ultimate Monte master
He may only be contesting a part-time campaign in the World Rally Championship these days, but Sebastien Ogier underlined that he's lost none of his speed in the 2023 season opener. Storming to yet another victory on the Monte Carlo Rally, the eight-time world champion rewrote the history books again as Toyota served notice of its intentions with a crushing 1-2
How Lancia pulled off its famous Monte Carlo giantkilling
Audi should have been invincible in the snowy conditions that typically greeted the World Rally Championship paddock in Monte Carlo. But unexpectedly warm weather for the 1983 season opener, combined with some left-field thinking from the Lancia crew turned the tables. Forty years on, team boss Cesare Fiorio reflects on a smash and grab.
Why M-Sport has pinned all its efforts on a WRC reunion
M-Sport had a disastrous 2022 with its Rally1 Ford Pumas following Sebastien Loeb’s first-time-out win on the Monte. But now things are looking up with 2019 world champion Ott Tanak leading its attack, and the Cumbrian operation has optimism that it can challenge for a first title since Sebastien Ogier's departure at the end of 2018
The contenders seeking to take Rovanpera's WRC crown
As Kalle Rovanpera begins his World Rally Championship title defence in Monte Carlo, the Finn knows he has a target on his back. But who is best placed to knock the Toyota ace off his perch?
Why Rovanpera is anticipating a fight to defend his WRC title
Question: what could be harder than becoming the youngest-ever World Rally champion? Answer: becoming the youngest-ever two-time World Rally champion. That's quite the challenge facing Toyota's Kalle Rovanpera in 2022, particularly against rejuvenated opposition in the second year of the WRC's hybrid regulations.
From F1 to WRC: Why Hyundai's new boss could be an inspired signing
OPINION: New Hyundai rally team boss Cyril Abiteboul admits he’s got a lot to learn, but his F1 experience and evident strengths could mean he turns out to be an inspired choice.
The ultimate rally car project the WRC is glad COVID killed
Toyota was unstoppable in the 2021 World Rally Championship, with an excellent 75% strike rate from 12 rallies. But in a scary proposition for its rivals, the Japanese marque had built a car for the final year of the previous regulations set which it believes was much faster and could feasibly have crushed the opposition completely. Here the story of its mothballed world-beater.
Motorsport.com writers' most memorable moments of 2022
The season just gone was a memorable one for many of our staff writers, who are fortunate enough to cover motorsport around the world. Here are our picks of the best (and in some cases, most eventful) from 2022.
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.