Evans heads into the final two rounds of the World Rally Championship season with a 13-point lead over his teammates Sébastien Ogier and Kalle Rovanperä. The Welshman began his season brilliantly, taking victories in both Sweden and Kenya.
During the summer’s gravel events, Evans suffered from his road position, but he has consistently scored solid points and has not retired once. In the last three rallies, the Toyota driver has finished second on each occasion.
This week’s round in Japan has always suited Evans perfectly. He has two wins from the previous two editions under his belt.
“Rally Japan is always a big week as the home event for TGR and there’s a very special atmosphere,” Evans says.
“It’s not an easy rally with very demanding and twisty stages, and in the last few years we’ve seen some quite difficult conditions at times. Even when it’s dry, there’s very little margin for error and it’s easy to make a small but costly mistake.”
The Welsh driver knows well what factors will make the difference if he wants to succeed in Japan. Like his rivals, Evans needs a strong result there to keep the title fight alive. The 36-year-old already has several World Championship silver medals to his name, but the ultimate crown still eludes him.
“The first key is to get through without issue, and then it’s about having a good feeling with the car and maintaining concentration for all those corners.”
“We’ve had some good runs there in the past and we’ll be aiming as high as we can again to try and secure a good result for the team at home and for ourselves for the championship.”
A total of 20 special stages will be driven in the Rally Japan, covering a distance of around 305 kilometres. The action begins in the early hours of Thursday morning CET with the shakedown stage.
