By Paul Evans
His two previous outings in Estonia have been brutal and bruising affairs – but that won’t stop Elfyn Evans going for a win on this weekend’s ‘very, very fast’ Rally Estonia, as his challenge for the world rally title finally restarts after a six month coronavirus enforced break.
Last year, Evans injured his back after his car’s sumpguard took the full impact of an awkward landing during a promotional event in Estonia – the physical results of the shock waves forcing him out of the next two rounds of the WRC.
And a few weeks ago, he walked away from one of the biggest high-speed accidents of his career, after crashing out of a test event in the south of the country.
But that’s unlikely to faze a characteristically cool, philosophical and enormously talented Evans one bit, as he heads back to the Baltics for what is a crucial round of the season.
And why is this event so crucial?
Only three rounds of the WRC took place before the global coronavirus pandemic intervened – with Evans finishing third in Monte Carlo, winning in Sweden, and coming home fourth in Mexico.
Shakedown complete at #RallyEstonia with @SebOgier posting the 2nd best time on his final run ✅
Times ⏱️
1. Tanak 2m56.8s
2. @SebOgier +1.4s
3. Lappi +1.5s
4. @KalleRovanpera +1.6s
5. Neuville +1.8s
6. @ElfynEvans +2.4s
7. Breen +2.6s
8. @TakamotoKatsuta +3.2s#YarisWRC #WRC pic.twitter.com/V1DlL1fIQY— Toyota GAZOO Racing WRT (@TGR_WRC) September 4, 2020
His best ever start to a WRC campaign puts Evans second in the race for the drivers’ title – eight points behind series leader and Toyota team-mate Sébastien Ogier, and 12 points ahead of Hyundai driver Thierry Neuville.
But a heavily revised calendar now sees just four rallies remaining – Wales Rally GB being one of eight cancelled events.
Only rallies in Turkey and Italy (held on the island of Sardinia) survive from the original list of events, with this weekend’s Rally Estonia, plus the Ypres Rally in Belgium, being drafted in to host a round of the WRC for the first time.
There are not many opportunities to score big points and edge out an advantage at the top of the leaderboard, even if all the remaining rallies do actually take place.
So, Evans and co-driver Scott Martin have no other tactic available but to try and win this weekend – and that’s what they will be focusing on when they drive their Toyota Yaris WRC over the ceremonial start ramp and through the opening stage in Tartu tonight (Friday 4 September).
Rallying is back! Toyota Gazoo Racing’s @ElfynEvans tells us how much he’s looking forward to Rally Estonia and getting back behind the wheel of his Yaris World Rally Car. pic.twitter.com/QhOU7sGGEg
— ToyotaUK (@ToyotaUK) September 3, 2020
Ahead is an unusually short, by normal WRC standards, route – with five stages (ran twice) on Saturday and three stages (repeated) on Sunday.
“It has been a long time since we have driven competitively,” says Evans.
“It’s been eased by the fact that we could at least do some testing and get back behind the wheel but there’s nothing like competition.
“Rally Estonia is new to the WRC and I was lucky enough to be there for last year’s event. Although the rally didn’t end so well for me, I did enjoy it and I know a little bit about what to expect.
“The roads are very, very fast.
Elfyn Evans Escapes Unhurt After Huge Accident Destroys His Toyota Yaris
“Similar to Finland in some ways but with a few less jumps, and even faster in some places.
“As I’ve seen from the testing we’ve done, the car feels strong on these high-speed gravel roads.
“We’re definitely hoping that we have a good package and hopefully we can get the most out of it.”
On what are incredibly fast and flowing gravel roads, the pace this weekend has to be absolutely flat-out from the very beginning.
A quick half spin or slight overshoot could make the difference between winning and losing.
The scene is set for what could be one of the closest WRC battles ever!