Pilot Toyota Shown with impeccable defense against Hyundai Partner’s strong thrust, Ott Tanak and Craig Breen, to win the event and keep his tournament hopes alive.
Evans’ 70th Anniversary Victory Finland Rally It allowed him to become the second Briton to win one of the tournament’s most prestigious events, following in the footsteps of Chris Mickey in 2016.
The Welshman had 10 wins in all 19 stages, including the Power Stage, and was able to push his car to the limit on the high-speed cobbled roads of Finland, overtaking Tanak by 14.1 seconds overall.
Reflecting his fifth victory in his career in WRCEvans described it as his best tournament performance to date.
“It’s probably going to be quite long,” replied Evans, when asked about where that win has been in his career so far. “I think it’s always difficult to beat the first home win, in Wales. But in terms of performance, this is probably the highest win in fairness.”
“Honestly, I didn’t feel very confident, but from the start we had a good feeling with the car, which we improved again on Saturday, and from there we got to work.”
“The four wins on Saturday morning helped us win, but since then we’ve had to try to outpace Ott and Craig, who have been attacking hard. I’m glad we did.”
Elfyn Evans, Scott Martin, Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT Toyota Yaris WRC
Photography: Toyota Racing
That victory, combined with a modest performance by Toyota championship leader and teammate Sebastien Ogier – who finished fifth – put Evans 24 points behind the Frenchman with only two rounds remaining.
Admitting that Ogier’s lead has diminished, Evans remains skeptical about his chances of winning the title, but admits they are more realistic now.
“The title race has moved in the right direction, but it is still a long way off,” he added.
“We knew it was a long way from Greece, and it still wasn’t much better, but it’s going in the right direction.”
“At the end of the day we have to go into the next two remaining rounds in the calendar and do our best and get the best results possible. That’s all we can do.”
“Maybe it’s a bit more realistic, as it just takes Seb to retire and everything will be open. I can’t hope for that, the only thing we can worry about is our performance in the next two rallies.”
WRC heads to Spain for the penultimate round of the tournament, October 14-17.
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