Evans secured his fourth second-place finish of the season, trailing his teammate Kalle Rovanperä by just over 20 seconds. The Rally Chile was undoubtedly one of Evans’ best performances this season, boosting his confidence ahead of the final two tarmac rounds of the year.
Before Chile, Evans had experienced two retirements and a lackluster performance at the Rally Latvia, so this success came at a crucial time. Toyota still has a slim chance of overtaking Hyundai for the manufacturers’ title, provided they deliver strong performances in the last two tarmac events.
“After a great team performance in Chile, it was nice to be back on the podium and now we want to get the most out of these last two asphalt rounds to end the season. We know that both Central Europe and Japan can be quite difficult rallies in terms of the weather,” Evans reflects.
“Such events are a challenge as a driver to try and get right, especially with the added dimension of working with our route note crews.”
Tarmac stages are less common in the WRC, with the last tarmac rally taking place in Croatia back in April.
“Our driving time on this surface is quite limited during the year, but at least the conditions we expect are not so different to Croatia,” Evans says.
“The car was working well there, so we’ve had a good base to work from while trying to find some improvements that can put us in a good place for the event.”
The Central European Rally kicks off Thursday morning with a shakedown. The rally will feature 18 stages, covering over 300 kilometers in total.
