Evans lost the lead of the drivers’ championship at Rally Estonia in mid-July – albeit by just a single point to Hyundai’s Ott Tänak, who now tops the standings.
In fact, dropping to second place might have turned out to be a good thing for Evans. The Toyota ace will not have to open the road in Finland, giving him the advantage of following Tänak into the high-speed gravel ruts.
Still, Evans is eagerly anticipating the event. The Welshman has always enjoyed the fast roads of Central Finland.
“Finland is a brilliant rally and a real highlight of the season for me, so I’m really looking forward to it. Nothing quite compares to the feeling of driving on the Finnish stages, especially when you’re at one with the car,” Evans praised.
Drivers in the WRC already had a taste of high-speed gravel in Estonia, but the Finnish roads present a different kind of challenge.
“While it’s a similar event to Estonia in terms of speed, the surface and the character of the roads are quite different, so our test in Finland this week was important to try and find the best setup and feeling behind the wheel,” Evans explained.
Evans has a clear strategy heading into Jyväskylä.
“It’s always a really enjoyable rally so the biggest thing is to enjoy the driving and hopefully a good result can follow,” he said.
Rally Finland takes place from 31 July to 3 August.
