Evans battled Hyundai’s Ott Tänak early in Rally Japan, but the Estonian pulled away during the second full day of competition. However, the race swung in favour of the Welshman when Tänak crashed heavily on the final day of the tarmac rally.
Tänak’s retirement was a game-changer, allowing Toyota to secure the manufacturers’ championship and giving Evans his first win of the season.
“We knew Ott had to go on the maximum – like all of us at the end of the day. He obviously got caught and once that happened, it opened the door for us a little bit further. And in the end, we just did enough. We can be pleased with that,” Evans reflected.
The weekend was a mixed bag for Evans. At times, he was the fastest, but on Saturday afternoon, he couldn’t match the pace of the quickest drivers.
“I think we were clearly the fastest. But there were also moments that we were the slowest Rally1 car actually. We need to get to the bottom of it fully because it doesn’t really make sense,” Evans said, puzzled.
Nevertheless, Evans celebrated victory with a margin of a minute and a half over teammate Sebastien Ogier. It was his first win in exactly a year, having also won Rally Japan at the end of the previous season.
“There were definitely some challenges and it was not really the overall performance that you aim for. But nonetheless, there were some strong moments throughout the weekend and in the end it was enough,” Evans summarised.
Evans finished second in the final WRC standings. During the first half of the season, he was in contention for the championship, challenging Hyundai’s Thierry Neuville. However, a crash in Rally Finland effectively ended his title hopes.
During the season, Evans achieved seven podium finishes but also had moments where his pace was lacking.
“There was actually quite a bit missing. And especially on the rougher gravel rallies, that was the biggest Achilles heel, really. So, definitely that side of the job needs to improve quite a bit. That’ll be the main focus for next year,” Evans explained.
Evans will continue as a driver for Toyota’s WRC team next season.
